Replacing My Maggie 3.6R


Many of you know I have been a Magnepan fan for a long time with my first pair of 2.6's in the 90's.  As I evolved to prefer tube power with these speakers I upgraded to the 3.6R, Manley Neo Classic Amps and Vandersteen 2W Sub.  About two years ago I added stereo Rel's and truly  thought the quest was over.  Over the years I have tried to move on from Magnepan but could never find a box to deliver the soundstage and imaging.   I've listened to Revel, B&W, Focal, KEF, Harbeth among others.  More recently listened to Acora, Joseph Audio, and Magico and many other A listers.  I came close with SF Amati and even closer with Vimberg Mino, with the Mino's just out of my financial reach.  I then attended AXPONA 2024 for the first time and listened too so many I've forgotten, but I did  listened to MBL's and I was sold!

xagwell

I'm with all of those above with recommend the Magnepan 3.7i's.. 

You owe It to yourself to at least audition them.

 

Those of us addicted to the Maggie sound have found ways to work through their perceived shortcomings.  Two good REL subwoofers (I have 3 running presently) is a good step in the direction of addressing perceived lack of deep bass.

I also bought a pair of Maggie DWM panels - the same tech as the base panel in the 20.1s - to augment bass.  It does do that but I often find I enjoy just as much without having them on. 

The real upgrade came when I bypassed the external crossover box (which you cannot do with anything .7 or above) and actively biamped my Maggies.  That was revelatory.  

OP, you have many things you can do before you ditch your beloved 3.6rs!  Forget about expensive replacements and roll up your sleeves! 

I have owned Accoustat 2 + 2s with both servo amps and interfaces with various SS amps, later Maggie 3.5Rs wwhich I tried custom silver jumpers, Rogue M150 tube amps, W4S class D, Parasound A21,  and more, bu no matter what I tried I could never get past the venitian blind effect. Eventually (years later), I went back to open baffle, Emerald Physics 3.4s which Ive had for 3+ years, which in my opinion are head and shoulders over Maggies AND they are easy to drive, and physically half the height, which makes them more aesthetically pleasing. Long out of production, but occasionally come up for sale or Clayton Shaws new OB speakers are getting excellent reviews @~ $3000

Speaking as a pro musician for 50 plus years, I find that people who complain about bass on Maggies, especially larger ones, do not know what real bass is supposed to sound like.