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Maggies a waste if only 3' from backwall?

All maggie owners, please chime in. I've been considering the maggie 3.6 or 20.1. My basement room is 15x20x7, thin carpet on slab floor, drywall over foundation. It is very unlikely I will be able to have them out farther than 3 feet from backwall, unless i had them on some kind of rolling/sliding platform. I have read repeatedly that maggies must be at least 4-5 feet from backwall. So, is 3 ft just not enough? Will the magic disappear and render them pedestrian?

While I'm at it, one more question: I understand there is a narrow sweetspot for maximum enjoyment, but how bad is out-of-sweetspot/off-axis listening? What aspect of SQ is actually lost? I ask this because I've read several posts where people thought they heard a real drummer or piano in next room only to find it was music played through a maggie (ie, "Best Speakers.." thread).

Thanks much for the replies. I really am considering joining the maggie family, but don't want to make a mistake based on room and one-person sweet spot.

Jeff
jeffkad

Showing 2 responses by timrhu

timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Given the difficulty in getting them set up properly in my room, I've decided against going up to the 3.6Rs unless I can arrange an extended audition in my room.

That says it all in my experience. Unless you are getting a pair used and don't mind reselling them if they don't meet your expectations, an extended audition is required. I demoed a pair from a dealer for a week before deciding I could not find that "Maggie magic" I hear about.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 

01-31-10: Audioconnection
Greetings Timaru
Just wondering with all of the Padding,drapes etc in your sound rooms pic how could the back wave of the Magnepan work their magic under those conditions anyhow? Did you read the manual on this?
Best Johnnyr

Audioconnection

Don't want to hijack the thread but your question deserves an answer so, yes I certainly did read the manual. Also, I started a thread on Agon asking for tips from other Maggie owners and received quite a bit of feedback. I took all the recommendations to heart with the week long audition. Also, my wife was out of town so I had the opportunity to spend quality time for the project.
There were two main problems I had with the speakers. First was excessive treble. The manual says this can happen in under damped rooms (not the situation in my room). The tweeter attenuation helped a bit but they were still brighter than I cared for. The second problem was a general lack of coherence anywhere but in the listening chair. If I stood up it was totally gone. Granted I listen while seated but the difference was amazing. The ability to get a coherent presentation is one of the strong points of my Kestrels I guess.
To get the best out of the Maggies I worked on speaker placement, tweeter attenuation, I even removed the panel behind the left speaker and opened the drapes (much worse that way). Removed the designed tilt by placing pucks under the legs (much worse) again).
I auditioned the MG12s in the dealer's room and was ready to buy on the spot. What changed my mind and made me decide to audition them at home was listening to my cds at the store. What any buyer should do as a minimum.
My advice to the poster is to listen in his room before buying. I am not bashing Magnepan speakers and I hope it doesn't come across that way. I understand some listeners find them magical and I have experienced that also in other systems. In my small room however, I could not duplicate it.
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