Suggestions for Maggie replacements.

Try the Apogee Stage (with stands). Considerably more interesting looking than the Maggies and certainly more interesting sounding. Who knows, maybe she'll like them. If not, I can certainly recommend a pair of Paradigm Studio Active 20's. They will have the warmer sound of the Maggies, are excellent on vocal material, suitably dynamic & transparent and should have a considerably high WAF as the amps are contained in the speakers. They go for about $750-850 USD here. Good luck

B&W CM-2 is a very small two way that does a pretty good job. It can't rock, like most 2-ways it's size. But the midrange and top end are good. They sold 900 new, so a used pair is going for like 600-700 I think. They haven't been out long, so you may not find a used pair.

Paradigm Studio 20 would also be another great pick. Version one or version two. Version one can be had for about 400 used. A brand new version two with out the wood grain can be had for 650. It's a very nice speaker.

You also may want to take a look (listen) to the monitor audio line.

Triangle line is very fast, like maggies, and transparent. I have owned Kharma Ceramique 2s, JM Lab Mini Utopias, and Sonus Faber Guarneri and sold all that stuff off to reduce system. I went months without and am just building an entry level system to start back up. I have spent months looking into options for all the equipment and here is what I settled on for speakers.

I bought a pair of the Titus XS, $499 retail, monitor and good 28 inch stands ($200 retail). It is remarkable how much they provide compared to the other speakers listed above. The others are better of course but they also cost $8200-$11,500. I get 90% of what those other speakers did.

Now they only go down to around 60 but on most of the music I listen to I never miss it. The bass that is there is right, tight, and tuneful (if you want more by a sub later). These things just disappear and because they are efficient (90db) then I can use almost anything on them. I have heard them on a lot of gear and they aren't picky. Even so, I would lean toward solid state with warmth (like Audio Analog) or tubes if you like them. I am using another audio miracle, a Blue Note integrated (solid state 30 watt, $600). They work so well together I would love to audition them for everyone so they can see what a couple of bucks can get you these days.

I have had Totem (Forest) and Theil (1.5s) in my house before and these cost way less and are just as appealing. Now the most important part…when I brought these home, my wife said, “Finally, a speaker that fits our house, I like them.” My wife does not like my hobby so this is saying a lot. They sit in our living room (10.9 by 19 foot) and I take up prime real estate so you can understand her frustration.

Triangle is a neat company making their own drivers and having some unique ways of approaching speaker design. Stereophile’s Sam does not exaggerate when he talks about these speakers. The $500 Triangle uses Triangle’s newest top end tweeter … titanium dome, set in a horn, with a phase plug that disperses sound and smoothes out the top end. Even with this said the magic is in the midrange. They don’t cross over until 6 khz to avoid some key trouble areas and the results are special. One note however, they take quite a bit of time to break in and sound a little tight right out of the box. Sam mentions them improving some around 25 hours but my experience says they need 200+ hours before they really begin to bloom. This is because the midrange driver is very stiff and needs some extended play to break in. I have maybe 150 hours on mine and even though I know they will improve I could easily live with them just like this.

Long winded I know but I hope this helps. You should buy a pair of Triangle’s you got nothing to lose and everything to gain. You and your wife will be happy.

cd

...from Meadowlark...one of the great deals in the audio industry!

Which Meadowlark? They don't have anything in the $500 range do they? Now the Kestrel has had great reviews and I am sure it is a great speaker for the money but it is $1695 which is more than 3 times the Titus. Isn’t their smallest speaker the Vireo at $1095 twice the price of the Titus? Maybe you had something else in mind but lets compare apples to apples.

If they wanted to spend $1500 to $2000 the discussion would change drastically. Many good options, almost too many but still I thought the discussion was around $500-$700 (including stands). Now that narrows the field quite a bit. I have heard some gear I thought was a great value and there are a number of good honest companies out there but the Titus may represent one of the top 10 best values in audio today. Now with the continuing trickle down this may change but for today, the Titus definitely redefines what a speaker can do for $500.

If you like the Meadowlark line, I challenge you to buy a pair of Titus just to see what all the fuss is about. Give them a fair hearing, break them in and use reasonable electronics, and if you don’t like them, call me and I will buy them back from you at what you paid for them minus shipping (assuming they aren’t damaged in any way and you show me original receipt). I am not saying replace your favorite speaker, I am just saying give them their due. If you are ever in the KC area, let me know and I will set up and audition.

cd