conundrum

Answer:

In home audition for 3 days. The first day will be bad to ok, second, better, third reflective of what you can expect long term. (Generalizing)
Don't spend any money until you hear them in your room, with your electronics, cables etc.
My dislike of the 'house sound' of B&W makes me very suspicious of them being able to sound anything like as good as the big Maggies.
Maggies are more neutral, and more musical, faster--better in virtually every way...IMHO.

Good luck.

Larry

n, did the salesman play both speakers with the same wires and electronics? amps and wires that would make the b&w sound good would make the maggies sound wrong. they have a very different chacter.
listening to both at home on your system would be more indicative if you still have the maggies at home. your present system is a given on maggies.
best, b

*There was something about the B&W's that didn't thrill me - although they are fine speakers and I can't define what that is.*

I've owned a 1/2 dozen diff. B&W's over many years. I liked some of them, for awhile, but always gave up in frustration & sold them. And went on to Totems, or Spendors, or Merlins, & liked them much better.

I know Maggies only from reading about them. By all accounts they are very serious speakers. And even the best B&W's are still mass-market speakers.......

Thank you for your responses.

The dealer played the speakers on the same electronics (Ayre monoblock amp, preamp and CD player - I brought my own CD's).

I don't think he is trying to cheat me - I've been dealing with him for so many years and he has always been kind to me and their service has been excellent.

He did tell me that he personally loved Maggies and realized the room I was listening to them in was too small for them. He told me he would love to have a larger room for these speakers but that is not the economics of the time. I don't have the impression that it is easy to be a dealer of good stereo equipment in even good times.

I've now talked with him and he is going to stop by my house and look over my room (it is a huge finished basement with only 7' ceilings but perhaps 25' x 35' and quite dead with thick carpeting and a sound-deadening ceiling).

Then he's suggested leaving the speakers with me for a while. So in case I first try them out on a day that I haven't slept well or am feeling irritated with life, then I can keep listening.

I know in my heart I'm not going to buy the B&W's. The best option for me might not to purchase anything at all - (or perhaps just extend the bass of the Maggie 3.5 with a couple woofers). The money I wouldn't spend I could take my wife to Greece (if they're not rioting). Or perhaps I will buy the 20.1's and we can view Greece on the internet.

Anyway I now know what I need to do to come to a rational decision.

You haven't told us anything about your amplification. I think the 20.1s are a wonderful speaker, but they are very demanding of amplification. Ideally they should be bi-amped. Consider going with 3.7s, upgrading your amps and going on vacation to at least Greektown (Chicago).