2. speakers
  3. 1087516497

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
themadmilkman OP
182 posts
 
Well, my wife and I have been talking about this (she somehow manages to take a mild interest in my audiophile obsession). I think we're going to end up combining both the stereo and the Home Theater for a while, which changes everything. I think I'm going to stick to my original plan and get the Vandies. I just think that they'll handle the double duty a little bit better. Now, if it involved higher-tier Maggies, and not the MMGs, my decision could be different.

And, as JHold mentioned, I listen to a lot of crappy recordings of music I enjoy, and want to make sure that I can still enjoy them. I've heard bad recordings through Maggies, and he's right-- they'll kill your ears. Yeah, I suppose this doesn't involve the absolute search for truth in audio, or whatever, but hey, I don't get too much time to listen, so I might as well enjoy the time I get.

Thanks for the advice, all.
elevick
2,636 posts
 
I spent many sleepless nights with my first kid on my lab listening to maggies. The biggest problem is that she didn't always let me sit in the "sweet spot". Off center seating is a problem with them. The good news is that we spent so much time in front of thier replacements, coincidents, that she now loves classical at 4 years old!
The only downfall, she and her little sister are too interested in how the speakers work-lots of pushed in drivers. Keep the grilles on tight and start the kids off right!
suits_me
121 posts
 
I don't think the Vandies are series crossover speakers, but I'm not an expert. Series crossovers would be found in Reynaud, Fried and Diaural licensees' speakers, among the better known sources.
pragmatist
336 posts
 
Suits me,

thank you
gooddomino
108 posts
 
I was in the same quandry a few years back. I had Vandy 3's. They are large and weigh 90 lbs each. I was afraid the Vandies would get knocked over and hurt the baby or the baby would totally wreck the "sock" on the Vandy.

I sold the Vandies and bought PSB 4T's. These really go well with NAD. They also have a mesh grille that is backed by a plastic honeycomb patterned support. Great when the kids push on the grille.

More to discover