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Maggies a waste if only 3' from backwall?

All maggie owners, please chime in. I've been considering the maggie 3.6 or 20.1. My basement room is 15x20x7, thin carpet on slab floor, drywall over foundation. It is very unlikely I will be able to have them out farther than 3 feet from backwall, unless i had them on some kind of rolling/sliding platform. I have read repeatedly that maggies must be at least 4-5 feet from backwall. So, is 3 ft just not enough? Will the magic disappear and render them pedestrian?

While I'm at it, one more question: I understand there is a narrow sweetspot for maximum enjoyment, but how bad is out-of-sweetspot/off-axis listening? What aspect of SQ is actually lost? I ask this because I've read several posts where people thought they heard a real drummer or piano in next room only to find it was music played through a maggie (ie, "Best Speakers.." thread).

Thanks much for the replies. I really am considering joining the maggie family, but don't want to make a mistake based on room and one-person sweet spot.

Jeff
jeffkad
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,528 posts
 
Listen, owning Maggies requires that the user adapt to the speakers requirements not the other way around. If you can't get them out in the room then you are wasting what they have to offer. I've put big speakers in small rooms but it just doesn't work with Maggies. You should hear how well 1.6s sound in a big room, really nice. The 3.6s are even better but you need to pull them out, 10 or 15 feet isn't too much.

Thanx, Russ
robr45's avatar
robr45
319 posts
 
Right Russ69 I agree.

The 1.6 should not be discounted- it is a fantastic speaker when it is fed well and has space to breath. I can only imagine that the 1.7 is better as Magnepan does nto have a history of introducing new models unless the difference is substantial.
chadeffect
586 posts
 
Used that close to the wall they will sound muddled and flat. There wont be a problem with having bass but the speaker will be strangled and lose it's air.

Maybe for special listening you could pull them into the room more.
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
First off, Ive had no problems with 3 ft from the front wall with my 1.6's(40")

I'll also say they have a wide sweet spot, providing your not going to use a 1 ohm resistor(muffles, dulls, and ruins sweet spot width). Most people don't understand Magnepans tend to be bright. Not harsh, just bright. They also NEED a sub. I use a .27 mills resistor and it takes a small hint of brightness away without the ill effects listed above.

All that being said, for the money you have to spend, buy some Legacy Focus 20/20's or HD's. You will be blown away. They play everything well, and have all the bass and volume you could dream of. They are very warm, and I miss them very much! Ive had many of the great speakers, and the Focus were my favorite. They just get MUSIC right.
jeffkad OP
211 posts
 
Ah, sthomas, but the magic of the maggie is only available in planar/stats, although open baffle comes close. The HD's have a ribbon tweet I think, so there is some resemblance, but not that holographic, palpable, 3D sound. Yes, the HD, as with other box speakers, will do some things better, and as far as I've read, nothing else comes as close to full range deep bass response in it's price class, but it's still a box. On the other hand, the Whisper, with an open baffle design, seems to have similar qualities to the planar/stat crowd, at least from what I've read (and they can be placed closer to a wall)
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