I had a pair of Slant 8's. The Slant 8's were the replacement for the Centaur Majors - both were hybrid ribbons - i.e conventional driver for the bass with a mid/high ribbon.
When I first got them, the bass was muddy and the highs were a little grating on the ears. I upgraded the crossovers (upgraded caps/soldered connections etc) and the difference was dramatic! The mids/highs were so liquid smooth. The previous harshness was completely gone and the bass tightened up a little too. This is what everyone was raving about regarding the mids/highs and they were right on!
BUT, I felt the bass was still way too muddy and they colored the sound more than I liked. Bass heads may like it but I felt it was too much (and I am a headbanger at heart - no jazz (but plenty of orchestral) in this neighborhood, sorry).
For reference, I went back to my Von Schweikert VR4.5's - not as smooth in the highs but the bass was so much more accurate that I felt I could live with them a lot more easily.
All were driven by a Simaudio P5 pre and W5 amp(all solid state) so there was no lack of power. I also swapped in a Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid pre (tube) for comparison but it did not change my opinion at all.
I can't offer any opinion on the Maggies. I can tell you that the person I sold the Slant 8's to was using them in a surround system along with a pair of Apogee Diva's (full range ribbon). Those Diva's were AMAZING! From top to bottom, the Diva's sang a beautiful song. If I could find a pair of Diva's I would get them. It may be better to compare a pair of Diva's to the Maggie 20/20.1's. Price wise, I believe the Diva/Maggies is a much closer comparison too.
HTH
When I first got them, the bass was muddy and the highs were a little grating on the ears. I upgraded the crossovers (upgraded caps/soldered connections etc) and the difference was dramatic! The mids/highs were so liquid smooth. The previous harshness was completely gone and the bass tightened up a little too. This is what everyone was raving about regarding the mids/highs and they were right on!
BUT, I felt the bass was still way too muddy and they colored the sound more than I liked. Bass heads may like it but I felt it was too much (and I am a headbanger at heart - no jazz (but plenty of orchestral) in this neighborhood, sorry).
For reference, I went back to my Von Schweikert VR4.5's - not as smooth in the highs but the bass was so much more accurate that I felt I could live with them a lot more easily.
All were driven by a Simaudio P5 pre and W5 amp(all solid state) so there was no lack of power. I also swapped in a Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid pre (tube) for comparison but it did not change my opinion at all.
I can't offer any opinion on the Maggies. I can tell you that the person I sold the Slant 8's to was using them in a surround system along with a pair of Apogee Diva's (full range ribbon). Those Diva's were AMAZING! From top to bottom, the Diva's sang a beautiful song. If I could find a pair of Diva's I would get them. It may be better to compare a pair of Diva's to the Maggie 20/20.1's. Price wise, I believe the Diva/Maggies is a much closer comparison too.
HTH