Replacement for Maggie's?

If you really like the basic sound of the 1.6, but, cannot move up in size to the 3.7, I take it that getting a subwoofer would also be problematic. That probably means you are looking for a small system with the sound of a dipole speaker. Perhaps an electrostatic/dynamic woofer hybrid would fit the bill. Martin Logan makes such systems, and to me, much better still, would be speakers from Sanders Sound. These are not small in size, but, they are considerably less imposing in looks than maggies.

Brownsfan,

That's a good point. I've heard larger current Maggies do larger scale orchestral music quite well for the reasons you cite in a small to moderate size room running off larger ARC tube amplification. I had few issues with most classical as well when I owned Maggies. More so with pop/rock and even big band to a lesser extent.

With the exception of the larger Apogee planar speakers or arguably one of the hybrid models, most dipole speakers simply can't provide the same bass slam as a cone driver.

If you can't upgrade to the larger Maggies due to the WAF, then the Apogee route is probably not an option unless you can find a pair of Cepheus 6s. Try before you buy.

I like the subwoofer idea. It shouldn't be hard to integrate a downward firing sub (or pair, if you have the space). If your floor is wood or concrete, you'll be good to go. If carpet, place some wood floor tiles or (better) a stone or granite tile under the sub.

Finally, if you are determined to replace your Maggies wth something new and with a similar (dipole) sound, I would suggest that you look at the DECware ERR or maybe even the Ohm speakers.

Thanks for the ideas guys, it sounds like I really need to take a road trip to listen to some different gear. I have thought about adding subs but felt it smeard the sound a little. Not sure if that's the right term, but it didn't sound as good in the mids with a sub. If I kept the 1.6's I have also thought about adding 2 rythmik subs but once again worry that it will mess with the already pretty good sound.

Harri, while I know people have had good results with forex the Rel subs, you might want to consider Magnepan's DWM woofer. It won't smear the sound like a dynamic sub because it's also a planar, and it's quite small. Magnepan showed it at CES with a couple of 3.7's and it got raves. Their new ad will give you an idea of how small it is, plus the kind of press its been getting:

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=mug&m=196349

Also, since it's small and easily shipped, they have a 30 day home trial so you can see if it works for you.

If you then want to extend the bass down to 20 hz, you can add dynamic subs but they will only be playing in the bottom octave so they're less likely to smear the midrange.