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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
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,306 posts
 
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.
jrd351
332 posts
 
the vandies are going to spound better on a wider variety of non audiophile recordings. the slight upper bass bloom(or slight boxiness)is small compromise for the weight of drums and piano. the transparency of the maggies is intoxicating, but poorly recorded material(some of the best performances are)is painful to listen to.
pragmatist
336 posts
 
Can any Vandy experts tell me if the Vandersteen crossovers are parallel or series?

I prefer panel speakers but have nothing bad to say about the Vandys I've heard.
nhtran
45 posts
 
Since you're keeping the NAD, I'd recommend you go with the Vandies. I don't think the NAD can drive the Maggies properly.
jhold
116 posts
 
I've owned both Vandys (1c's and 2ci's and 2ce's) and Maggies (both MMG and 1.6). The Maggies gave short-term thrills -- amazing transparency. The Vandys provide long-term satisfaction -- eminently musical and more forgiving on less-than-stellar recordings. After many years and many audio changes, I still have Vandersteens in my system, and feel no urge to go back to Maggies.

As for the child on the way -- when my kids were toddlers, lo these many years ago, I used a portable playpen -- it's a sort of netting on an aluminum frame (about 2 feet high or so) that folds accordion-style. By folding it open in a zig-zag pattern, I could make a stable "fence" in front of the speakers, and it was pretty much acoustically transparent. Not lovely, but it kept the prying hands away.
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