Vandies or Maggies?


Okay, I have a tough decision coming up. I've been saving some cash for a pair of Vandersteen 1C, but recently heard the Magnepan MG20.1 for the first time ever. I couldn't believe the kind of sound that you can get out of a ribbon. Talk about midrange purity. So now I have a conundrum.

Do I continue to save my money for the Vandies, or do I throw down some cash and try out the Maggie MMGs? I love the overall balance of Vandies, but the clarity of Maggies seems to be very addictive. What do I do?

Either one would be driven by a NAD C320BEE. I listen to a world of different music, from hip-hop to jazz to orchestral to acoustic.

Oh, one last thing-- I'm having my first kid this October. And yes, I'm worried about having Maggies in the house with a little hellion running around.

Okay, so given my situation-- which would you recommend?
themadmilkman
vandies aren't so stable that a one-year old (estimate) can't knock them down. So, buy them, listen to them for 18 months, sell them on audiogon and buy a nice big plastic boom box that you can give to your kid a couple years after that. (Then go buy what you can afford--oh, with the kid you won't be affording any stereo equipment for a while). Good Luck!!! Tom.
I compared Vandy 2C signature with Maggie 1.6 on the same system and bought the Maggies. Clearly less colored and more open, though I liked the Vandy it just sounded like a box in comparison.