Why is the turnover on maggies 1.6QR so much?

Jvia has it pretty cold. 1.6QRs were on on short list but suffered the same fate as the Martin Logans when my wife was brought in to veto anything that was too big or ugly for the room. I also suspect that to get the most from the speaker will require placement that even if the looks pass WAF, the location will not ...

In the end I got Hales Rev 3s. They do alot of the same things that the planars do, but without the bass, size and placement limitations.

I agree with the above post that size is a big factor in deciding to keep the Maggies. Even though they are barely two inches thick they "look" big and need a big room and careful placement to sound their best- at least 20'x30'.

Also, Magnepan has retooled their factory to produce a lot more 1.6qrs to meet the demand; there are probably more pairs of 1.6qrs out there than most other "high end" speakers. (I had to wait 6 months before I got my pair.) Some buy without hearing them because they've read the reviews only to find out later that they really need a big room and some serious high quality power (expensive) to sound really good. They do lack some of the impact and clean/focused sonic edges of high quality cone speakers.

However, if everything is set up right and with the right amplification, the Maggies will reproduce a stunning sense of real prescence of musicians in a real space. This is no small accomplishment. They are also quite forgiving of poor recordings. And at its retail price I can think on nothing that even comes remotely close to delivering this level of performance.

Unfortunately, because I am moving to a smaller place I am in the process of selling my pair of Maggies. Otherwise, I would certainly keep them.

In addition to size, I would also say that if people buy them without first auditioning them, they may be disappointed in the relative lack of dynamics as compared to a traditional cone speaker. Especially for those who like to "rock the house down". If you are preconditioned to a cone speaker, the Maggies may come off as a bit of a shock to the uninitiated. However, if you stick with them over the initial shock, you grow to love the open and natural sound they throw off - especially the older models.

I also agree with those above that say that these speakers need a good amplifier with sufficient power in order to show there stuff. They can sound constricted and flat if under powered.

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for rain.
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane.
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
Well, he hands you a nickel,
He hands you a dime,
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time,
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks.
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks.
The National Guard stands around his door.
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law.
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa.
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am,
But everybody wants you
To be just like them.
They sing while you slave and I just get bored.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

It has been several years since I owned Magnepan 2.7's. At that time the ribbon was a true ribbon tweeter as is in the Maggie 3.5, 3.6 series, and sounds much more open on top than the 1.6's. I've auditioned the 1.6 and agree they are a great value, however, the older III series resolves upper frequency details and sounds more balanced. Bass, to me was and remains a stong limitation of the panel speaker. This includes the Maggies, Apogees, Martin Logans, unless you go to a hybrid with cone bass driver, then the weakness becomes getting the integration correct. Magnepan has a great product, but like all else in audio, it is the trade off of strengths and weaknesses that must be balanced. Many who purchase the 1.6QR find the weaknesses of speaker size, room integration, placement, ancillary electronics, and, wife acceptance as too many weaknesses to settle on them long term. If you notice, most turn within 6 months to 1 year. Again, it's a subjective and personal choice.