What speakers can make a convert of Maggie lovers?

"I believe panels had their advantages back in the 80's ad 90's but top cone speakers have surpassed them today."

That's one heck of a bold statement with the Magnepan MG12's as a reference to judge all other panel speakers. And what exactly is a top cone speaker model? .... Avalon, Vandersteen, Wilson, or ...... gasp, the Spendor?

A more realistic comparison to have been made before such a blanket statement would be the Spendor to the 3.6.

I too have found the Spendor products over the years to be excellent. But to compare a $3k+ Spendor to a $1k Magnepan is kinda silly. After owning the 3.3 and 3.5 Magnepans (the series 1 and 2 did nothing for me) for 6 years, I know that these speakers excel in areas that the Spendors do not and vice versa.

And if you're listening to the Maggies with a solid state amp like the Brystons, you are not hearing the Maggie magic. A speaker can not ultimately be judged on its own...its interface to the amplifier is critcial.

The problem with Maggies is that they need to be pushed a little to be awakened and play their magic. They are not a good choice for low-level listening as their dynamics and resolution just don't getting going at such levels. It is this ultimate lack of dynamics that always had me wanting to change....but then so much is lost when going to a box speaker at anywhere near the cost.

Since owning Maggies, I have moved onto SoundLab A1s ..... another panel speaker. These are in a whole different sonic class than the Spendors .... but then again, they are 5x the cost. And they do not have the Maggie limitations described above.

The top cone speakers today happen to be Spendor, Harbeth, ATC, PMC, Living Voice, Goldmund, Eggleston, JM Reynaud, JM Labs and yes it would include Avalon, Kharma, Vandersteen, Von Scheikwert, TAD, Thiel, Proac.

I don't think it's silly to compare the S8e to MG12 as they have similar bandwith and price is very arbitrary in this hobby. I have heard the MG1.6 and 3.6 at the dealers and still prefer the Spendor. I would even compare th S8e to the highly rave Kharma 3.2 FE $20,000 an heard the Dynaudio Evidence Master $80,0000 and still prefer the S8e in communicating the music with natural timbres/texture. Sure the Dynaudios play louder and have more bass but you can't replicate the live sound of an intrument by making a speaker with just more drivers and bigger cabinet no matter how high quality the parts are. Bigger speakers bigger distortion and you need more amplifer power to drive those speakers again more distortion. That's why when you hear the big Dynaudio play a simple event like a drum stick hitting a wooden block tey do the dynamics but you can't hear the wood/texture just some synthetic sound. The only speaker technology which comes closest to replicating live music would probably be a custom 3-way horn system. Commercial designs would be Avantgarde (bass integration is terrible) or Acapella. A funny story, a friend of mine whose colleague has a daughter (13 yrs old) who plays cello was looking to buy speakers so she can hear her own music. She heard Quads, Martin Logans, Vandersteen, etc. Do you know she said sounds closest to her instrument. She said a vintage pair of Klipsch Cornwall I which she got and driving it with Quickie Triodes. And yes, vintage Klipsch speakers like La Scala are still viable today.

I've heard Maggies with tubes and SS.I agree that when juiced up the Maggies come alive dynamically but the inner detail is just not there. And I feel nothing is lost going to a fine cone/horn speaker.

I have not heard the Soundlab A1s so I can't comment but did hear the hybrid, I believe, the Dynastat many years ago. Still couldn't resolve the sound of the hall but leading edge on guitars were convincing as wth most electrostats.

And I would disagree that the A1 is in a whole diffirent sonic league than the S8e but Soundlabs would be better than the Maggies. The friend I talked about did hear the bigger full range Soundlabs and he still prefers his Quad 988 saying more musically balanced across the spectrum. Soundlabs will play louder and have more bandwith but what would you rather have one cup of gourmet java or 10 cups of coffee from Dennys. He says they are way overpriced and has known people who owned Soudlabs and have had their panels go down. But he says that about his Quads too (nature of the technology I guess) and that's why he still appreciates what his vintage modded La Scalas can do. When he sits down to listen he doesn't have to worry, is this the day the speaker will shut down. He does like the Quads though that's why he has one pair for back up. Also he has been playing piano since the age of 5 and plays most keyboard instruments even to this day and has helped his friends record music. He is still fond of going to his friends house tinkling the keys of the big Boesendorfer.

Good Luck!*>)

No cone speaker has ever sounded right to me, just my preference, properly amped and it's really not that hard, I don't think anything touches Maggies. That is why there are so many Audiophiles with relatively cheap Magnepan speakers (3.6R's) matched to obscenely expensive systems.

But, other speakers that I have heard that you may like? I think the Quad 988, and 989 are sublime. I love the way they match with the Quad amps, really something special. Also, a properly set up Klipschorn can be sublime. A very different, but really involving sound. I love the sound of these for Rock music, and heard them recently with the ASL Hurricane's and was very impressed. Vandersteens are a really special speaker up and down the line.

A great idea up near the middle of this string is the option of single drivers. I love those sytems. There is a great muscial coherence to them, and depending on the driver/cabinet combination they can play at surprisingly loud volumes. Additionally, I find them incredibly involving on delicate pieces and with jazz vocals.

I downsized my system tremendously recently, and sold my Maggie 3.6R's and I miss them everyday. But if you want to try something else, I would move to the Klipschorn or Klipsch La Scala. A very different, but very involving sound. I think I am going to move that direction myself soon.

Thanks.

if youve enjoyed maggies for that long, stay with maggie. you are now officially a maggiefile.

VR4-JR's were the first speaker that really got me out of my Maggies. My living room is my listening room and Maggies are just not a possibility. I'm not sure I could go back to them after having the JR's because I have really gotten used to the really great bass they deliver.