Magnepan 20.1

I have the smaller 3.6r and they rock in my system. It was not always the case though. Adding the Spectron mono-blocks was a huge improvement. But it was after I got the Joule Electra Marianne Electra preamp that I felt how much slam the Maggies can have.

I think the Maggies 20.1 should be fine in your system, assuming your listening space is not too large. They can certainly handle a lot of power.

I have a Velodyne HGS-15 and it is not fast enough to keep up with the bass driver in the Maggies. Based on my listening habits (mostly jazz and classical, occasional rock), I don't really have a need for it. So right now the Velodyne is a nice, glossy side table.

Best,

iSanchez

Hello Pops,

My experience with the Maggies 3.6r and amps is that the listening satisfaction increases with watts. I tried the 3.6r at my local dealer with a Mac integrated amp (I don't remember, but it was <300 watts). From the mid-range up, it was simply magical, but the little Mac didn't have enough juice to have control over the bass driver. Then my dealer set the Maggies with more power, this time with a Classe amp. The Mac magic was gone, but the bass had more control. I also tried the Maggies with a Krell 400 watts @ 4ohms, and still no much control over the bass driver.

I then went for a single Musician III SE (800watts @ 4 ohms) and the sound was much more coherent from top to bottom. A few months after that, I went for the Spectron mono-blocks by adding another amp and bridging them. This is 2400 watts @ 4 ohms for the Maggies 3.6. This made a huge improvement over a single amp. The bass driver is now driven with absolute authority. My listening room is 14' x 23'. In this room, the Maggies can fill the room with powerful sound that shakes the floors and walls. Strange enough, the shaking aspect of the listening experience started after I added the Joule Electra preamp.

The Maggies can virtually be driven with a few hundred watts, but they really sing with a lot of power and current. I would try to audition them with a similar amp than what you have, if you can.

Best,

iSanchez

I have to disagree as well. My Maggies 3.6r do very well all those things that Bvdiman says they don't do.

One thing the Maggies don't do well at all is boomy bass and diffused imaging. So if one is looking for single bass notes for all the records, then the Maggies are not for you.

Imaging is simply breath-taking with the Maggies. I have not heard this kind of imaging from any other non-planar speakers, regardless of price.

Bring in your little 50 watt integrated and they'll sound thin and constrained. Give them a lot of power and top notch gear, and they'll produce glorious sound. Ultimately, it all depends on the associated gear.

Best,

iSanchez