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Mag 3.6R or 20.1 , Sanders & Montana EPS2

After 20 years of void & darkness, I set out this new audio venture thinking Maggie 3.6R is all I ever needed.

But after driving 200 miles to listen a pair of Maggie 3.6R, my soul wasn't satisfied.

So, I went to Las Vegas T.H.E. show.
I wanted to listen to a pair of Maggie that is well matched up by a manufacturer themselves. (which was Bryston 28BSST with new Mag 1.7 & center piece)

Even the manufacturer's demo didn't convinced me...

So I looked around, and found two speakers that standed out.

One was Sanders Electrostatic Model 10 speakers and
the other was PBN Montana ESL 2. (Both are around $10K per pair.)

Sanders speakers were stunningly clear and focused. Imaging was incredible. All I can say is Clean, Pure & deliver excellent sound from high note to low.

The sound was so clear, it almost made me uncomfortable.
Never heard nothing like this before...

The other speaker I really liked was Peter's Montana ESP 2.
Just a wonderful speaker that moved my soul...
The music flowed effortlessly. I don't know how to describe.... just beautiful.

Maggie, Sanders, and Montana... each has a different character and taste. Like wine... Cab, Merlot & Zin all have different charcteristic...

Maggie probably has most warmth and air, like Renoir's painting not sure where the line starts and ends.

On the other hand, the Sanders speaker was probably most accurate and clear but somewhat lacking in warmth and naturalness (for my taste anyway)

Peter's Montana - comes in some where inbetween the two... well balanced, opening up nicely,... just made my heart warm in satisfaction...

=====

Sorry for the long intro...

Anyway, here is my question.

If anyone had these speakers over the long period of time, could you give your likes and dislikes? (especially weakness or problems if any)

TIA

Jon
jonk78
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I have owned maggies (1.6 and 3.5) and owned several models of Peter's speakers - SP2, SPX, and EPS2.

The Maggies do what they do, and if you like that, nothing else will work for you. I still respect them, if not love them. But I moved on. Montanas are a very natural sounding speaker that don't do anything wrong and sound very good most of the time. However, transparency is not their strong suit. And sometimes there is a slight boxy coloration. This was more prevalent with the larger EPS2. Nothing noticeable until you compare them to something that doesn't have this. Believe it or not, it was a small pair of GMA Callistos that upset the Montana applecart for me. I have since moved on to Piegas, which are another league completely.

With all that having been said, Peter makes some wonderfully musical speakers. I still have fond memories of my SP2s, which I think were the sweet spot of his older models. Not sure if they are even made anymore. If given the choice between a Montana and a Maggie, I think I'd opt for the former. But my suggestion would be to broaden your horizons a little.

Shakey
605hifi
12 posts
 
I have owned Montanas (EPS-2's) for over a year now and I have to say I disagree with Shakey. I went from B&W N803's to the Montanas and it has made the biggest improvement to my system I have ever noticed. With my set up they are as transaparent as I have ever heard a speaker and offer an very complete sound from top to bottom. If you happened to go to the presentation given by Harry Pearson, trust YOUR ears and musical taste. If the Montanas made you feel the best, go with the Montanas regardless of what we say. Good luck!
jonk78 OP
19 posts
 
Hi Shakey,

Thanks for your input on this - good to hear from someone who had both Maggie and Montana.

Forgive me for my ignorance... but what is "boxy coloration" ?

Since you liked Maggie and Montana, you and I seem to have similar taste in speakers. (which is a good news for me. I can narrow down to few speakers)

I looked up Green Mountain speakers.
Europa, Calisto, Calypso, Continuum 3, and EOS.

How many of these have you tested?
Which did you like the most?
I will definitely test drive them.

Uhm....Broaden my horizon?

But you know what? Everytime I try to broaden my horizon, the budget goes up ! (My wife is going to kill me if she finds out my budget went up by another 50% :O)

Are there any other speakers I must/should test them before making a decision?

(I've already acquired Bryston 14BSST & Cary CAD 500 MB which I was going to match up with Maggie 3.6R. But now I may go for something else... after matching with my new speaker, I will sell one of the lesser performing amp.

Also bought Cary audio SLP 98P. Now, I just need a pair of speakers ! Can't wait any more !!)

Happy listening,

Jon
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,514 posts
 
I'm just talking out of my @@s but if you like the sound of big panels and you have the room and power to drive them the 20.1s are a nice robust system. The ESLs are a bit more delicate (mechanically).
All the choices in your subject header are good enough that proper setup would be more important than selection.

Thanx, Russ
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