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Tossed between the horns Maggie 3A/PSB Gold I

I have been a long time Maggie fanboy, having bought my first pair back in 1982. For the past 12 years I have been using a pair of MG 3A's with a pair of M&K subs. I have continued to keep these in great operational shape and over the past winter I upgrade the caps in the cross-overs, replaced the tired ribbons, rewired the speakers with silver/cooper/teflon wire and remoloxied the diaphragms. I also put new socks on them. Needless to say they sound and look great. I also have Sound Anchor stands; so for all intents and purposes, these speakers have been taken almost as far as they can go.

Recently, I have taken in a pair of PSB Gold I. Generally, I get a second pair of speakers to listen to and play with from time to time. After a short period of time I usually sell off the second pair because they do not provide me with the same sonic enjoyment as the Maggies. However, the PSB are proving to be a bit of a different story.

They are a bit more upfront sounding and have great dynamics at low/medium to low volumes. They throw a good sound stage and when bi-amped and used with subs they have a well defined and deep low end.

My Maggies, on the other hand, have a better high end. The ribbon tweeter can't be bested, in this regard. They also have a more organic sound and throw a larger sound stage. However, you do have to be sitting in the sweet spot to enjoy it. Off axis and everything collapses. The mids are more laid back, which is great for some recordings.

So, that is the good and the not so good about each speaker. I can keep both but would eventually need to sell off one due to limited room and it makes a mess of my listening space.

After another week or so I'm going to throw the Maggies back into use and make my choice, however, I know it is not going to be an easy one.

Ultimately, I am going to use my ears, as I always do, to decide but my question to you, the reader is, "which would you choose?" Please no responses that include it is up to me and let my ears decide. Of course, this is what I am going to do. I want to entertain your thoughts specific to these two choices.

Thanks!!!!
raymonda
lostbears's avatar
lostbears
538 posts
 


I would replace both with Magnepan 3.7i speakers. I would also get one of the Magnepan bass panels. A friend of mine has a pair of the 3.7i speakers with two bass panels. This is a really nice sounding setup. The bass panels really make a difference.

I had planar speakers for years, Acoustat, Soundlab, Apogee and then Martin Logans. I finally replaced my SL3s with Sonus Faber Elipsa SE Reds. I never owned Maggies but I have always been impressed by the sound. The 3.7i are great sounding speakers.
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I heard the PSB Golds on two different occasions many years ago and wasn't impressed either time. With the exception of midbass slam and overall bass extension, I can't see them having anything on a pair of maggies. Which means I am baffled that you like them as much. If you are really a planar guy, then I like Lostbears advice.

That said, there are numerous box speakers that can equal or better most planars or electrostatics. Depends on what your budget is.

Shakey
raymonda OP
855 posts
 
Budget is limited to what I can sell and turnover for the next purchase. I have thought about the above options but really I'm not sold that 3.3, 3.5. 3.6 would be much of an improvement over my modded and tweaked 3A's. Also, I would not be able to get the funds to cover the added expense of a 3.7, unless I sold the subs, which I don't think I would do.

The thing that I really like about the PSB Gold I's is their well articulated bass, when used with my subs, without the subs, and run full range, the advantage is less so. The acoustic bass really sounds accurate with this combination. Also, the soundstage is wide and you don't have to be sitting in the sweet spot to get it.

As for the PSB's, the metal tweeter is OK and can sound good on well recorded material but can also be a bit harsh on other material. Vocals do pop out because of the forward presentation of the speaker, which again can be good or too much. I'm trying my amps in triode mode to see if that can help settle the mids down a bit.

My Maggies have been my reference....and tweaked out they are surely nice. What they lack is "jump" on low to moderate volumes and 40-120 hz can be a bit bloomy. The bass in this region is not as articulate as the PSB's. As I have 33 years of experience with Maggies I am very versed with set up and have them position for their best sonics. I also run a HP at 80hz and subs to better control the first octave, which has improved them in this area but they are simply not as good as the PSB's, bi-amp'ed with subs in this area.

Although I really want to throw the Maggies back in to reference them vs. the PSB's I want to give the PSB's at least 2 weeks of serious listening before the Maggies come back. This way I hope to eliminate the charm of a new speaker and gain a greater understanding of what I like and don't like.

shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I had 3.5s once upon a time and heavily modded 1.6s before that. I got the itch for the dynamics and slam of a box speaker and bought a pair of Aerial 7Bs on a whim. It took about thirty minutes of listening before I knew I made a mistake. I sold the Aerials in less than two days.

I have since moved on to several "cones in a box" type speakers that I feel outclass those 3.5s, but they were much pricier too. If after two weeks you are still smitten, it just tells you that it's time to start seriously looking at other alternatives. I just don't think the PSB will be "the one".....

Shakey
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