Maggies to Tekton?

I had considered the Spatial OB lineup before, but read several commenters who suggested that, in their opinion, there wasn’t all that much difference between the Maggies and Spatials. Others, like gkr7007, thought it was an acceptable trade. However, general consensus seems to be that they like as much (or almost as much) space as Maggies.  I've been leaning toward the Ohm Walsh lineup as much as anything else besides the Maggies.

For the record, I’m running a B&K EX-442 Sonata SS amp (350 wpc into 4 ohms).

If you want low and dynamic, would never mate a Mcintosh to a Maggie.  I would look at an older Classe amp. I currently run CAM350's with my 20.1"s. I know you're saying those are much bigger than the 1.7's. Prior to the 20.1's I had the MGIIIa's, those things sounded like they would bring down the house with those Classe CAM350's. I would look for something around 400 watts per channel @ 4ohms... I was looking to change things up, just added a set of Acoustat Spectra 33"s with the TNT200 Amps that I'm going to have Roy Esposito rebuild... Once you go Flat, you never go back...(Panels)...lol

I’m a little late to this party, but I have some experience here... I’ve owned Maggies (5 different models) for the past 33 years. I’ve also, concurrently, owned many other “traditional” speakers... including Tekton. There’s just something about them that sounds “real” that box speakers don’t seem to get right (IMO). I typically have more than one system running, and I swap components in and out, and I’ve *wanted* to replace the Maggies, but nothing has stayed in the main system very long. That said, I tried a pair of entry level tektons (mini lore), due to the price and praise. Honestly, they left me wondering what the fuss was about. Now these were their LEAST ambitious speakers, but they were purchased to replace PSB Alpha B1 stand mounts ($300/pr), and quite honestly, the PSBs sounded better to me. I gave them a chance.. different amps, positions, rooms, sources, etc., but ultimately decided to return them. Paying $200 bucks for shipping them back kinda stung, and then they “forgot” to refund me (until I contacted them to find out what’s up). That’s my Maggie/Tekton story! I’d keep the Maggies so you can compare directly in your home. Also, speaking from a lot of experience, Maggies can sound great in many rooms with many different amps, but it sometimes takes some work and patience. And they DO NOT need a million watts of power. I currently have a 100 w/ch tube amp (Music Reference RM200II) driving them and I’m very satisfied. Ymmv

I have Tekton Impact Monitors, Spatial Audio M3s (the original version, not the upgraded versions), and the Maggie 1.7i’s all in my basement right now (I also have a pair of Magnepan LRS’s), and have been comparing them for the past three months. I thought the Tektons were my last speakers. I love them. But I came across the one-year-old Maggies on a local classified ad at a price that was $1k less than the new price. I couldn’t resist giving them a try, and I fully expected the Tektons to beat them. At first they did. But I upgraded to a silver jumper and a gold-plated fuse, and also upgraded my cheap cables. With each tweak the Maggies improved noticeably. They need all the current you can throw at them. At the suggestion of a well-respected audio engineer, I even took my power conditioner out of the system and plugged my PrimaLuna Prologue Premium directly into the wall to get better current flow (It made a huge difference. My ancient Adcom conditioner was actually choking off the current flow). With these tweaks, the Maggies eventually emerged as the best of the bunch – much to my surprise.  Both the Maggies and the Tektons are quick and detailed, and sound similar in many ways. The main difference is that the Maggies deliver a more natural and richer tone, and perhaps a touch more holography with the images. And the sound stage is unbeatable.

But there are some caveats. My Maggies are 8.5 feet into the room. Placement makes a big difference with Maggies, and in my room, they need that much space (my room is 15 feet wide, and 50 feet long!). I’m also using a pair of Goldenear Forcefield IV subs, and they are essential to the sound. The Maggies actually produce better sounding bass than the smallish Tektons, but they just don’t have the slam that a box speaker has. I cross them over at a very low 45 - 50 HZ, so that most of the sound and texture are delivered by the Maggies, but the slam and fullness are delivered by the subs. It works wonderfully.

So my recommendations: First, try the upgrades I’ve suggested. Second, and this is critical, get some good, quick subs. These additions will bring a ton of excitement to the party. With the subs, even the LRS speakers sound huge and amazing. But if you’re just itching to try something new, go for it. You’ll enjoy the Tektons as well. And yes, I’ve obviously got too many speakers in my life. As soon as COVID is controlled to the point I’m comfortable letting people come into my house to audition them, I’ll be having a sale.

I’d like to back up what wester17 wrote about the small tweaks for the 1.7s. I installed a fuse bypass kit (in over 30 years if using Magnepan speakers I’ve only blown one fuse and it was my fault), silver jumpers, and Sound Anchors stands. These tweaks, along with experimentation in placement, make a big difference. I too plug my amp straight into the wall. I have a sub as well, but I rarely use it. Proper placement in a good room allows these speakers to produce more bass than most give them credit for.