Vandy or Maggy?

Teh determining factor might be how optimally you might be able to set up one versus the other in your room.

I suspect Vandies in general can work better closer to front wall than Maggies.

Maggies tend to work best well out into the room.

Vandies will most likely have better macrodynamics, but Maggies are hard to beat for transients/microdynamics and classical music in general, when set up well. If not, then not so much.

I tend to think of Maggies as more neutral tonally and Vandies more towards the "warm" side of things in most cases, if that matters.

Two different sounds/set of requirements for best results. Both can be really good if done right.

Vandies are probably more versatile in general for all genres of music. But for classical mainly/only, I could live easily with most any Maggies done well.

Normal listening volume is probably another factor to consider. Maggies are hard to beat in particular at lower to moderate volumes, but at louder volumes, the difference in macrodynamics between the planar speaker and a good dynamic design like the Vandies will most likely become more noticeable. You'll probably hear the music just fine with either. The question becomes how much do you need to feel it as well in order to be fully satisfied, in other words, how much "meat on the bones" or visceral impact is needed for those orchestral crescendos, etc?

REgarding Vandersteen, they are three way designs versus Maggie 2-way. In general, I am not a fan of most smaller three way speakers for classical music especially.

I am not a Vandy expert, and believe they have a lot of potential set up right, but not sure they would be my first choice for classical music.

Last thing I will say is I replaced older Maggies that i owned for years a few years back with my current setup mainly due to difficulty getting the right setup in my current room and the "feel it" factor that was missing, in that I listen to a lot of music genres, not just classical, but I have have been most satisfied ever since.

I will say that for classical music in particular, a tube or two upstream in the pre-amp and/or source with SS amplification and matching speakers does not hurt in particular for digital sources in particular.

Also I'l say that Maggies sound particularly good with tube amplification for classical based on my auditions. THat's somethign I never tried, but perhaps if I did, the Maggies might still be around.

My little Triangle Titus monitors, similar size to those TOtems more or less, helped convince me that even smaller dynamic speakers done well can compete with planars.

I have never heard any Totems set up even half decently sound anything but spot on. They are very good at getting a lot of sound out of a smaller package, hence their success. Add a sub or two and BINGO, hard to beat! And easy to fit into most rooms as well.

"Are you sure it wasn't the interior decorator convincing you.

No, but my old 80's vintage Maggies that I had for many years (and even had successfully rebuilt by Magnepan once) in smaller quarters mostly could never cut it on their own in my larger listening room in my current home compared to the modern dynamic speaker competition.

The little Triangles basically did most everything the 6 foot tall Maggies did when I tested those out for comparison in the same room and with the same gear, but perhaps even better.

"There is no substitute for cubic inches."

Depends on room size and need for bass extension, but I agree in general. When needed, I used separate subwoofers as well, and that pretty much covered it.

No doubt higher quality drivers made under tight tolerance and high quality standards will get you further, pound per pound, wherever they happen to be made. They will also tend to cost a tad more accordingly. That's a big reason I consider Dynaudio a gold standard brand in audio. Totem is similar TTBOMK. One might take to the sound of something else better, but the quality behind the sound is undeniable.

Schubert,

Have not a/b 'ed Totem/Triangle but does not surprise.

Titus XS are teh smallest and smallest sounding of all my speakers. But pretty top notch in the right application. Maybe the best at low volumes (like Maggie). Output levels are limited, but using with subs remedies that. My Dynaudio Contour monitors are more extended and can go louder than the Titus as well, not even close. Dynaudio and Totem sound have a lot in common IMHO. Use of a sub is more optional in general with these. BOth deliver a lot of good sound and pop out of a smallish box. My old OHM Ls that I rebuilt myself are somewhat larger and can hit bigger than either Dyns or Triangle, but are not as refined overall.

Of course, the OHMs still rule in my house. I've used all my speakers in each room, big and small at one time or another. OHM 5s turned out to be my Maggie replacements in my largest room. OHM 100s, Dynaudio, and Triangle can each pinch hit for each other in any other room of my house. Each is unique, but the 100s are the best of the three all around. Triangle's are a different breed, more efficient and tend to work best of different gear. Those play best with tube gear clearly. WOuld like a tube amp for those someday. Dynaudio and Totem are not very tube amp friendly TTBOMK. OHM is somewhere in between.

Using baseball analogies, The Triangle Titus are like Ozzie SMith, fast and athletic and a good hitter, but limited power.

Dynaudio Contour monitors are like Joe Morgan. Fast, athelic, refined and decent power.

OHM 100s are Micky Mantle. More powerful yet still versatile all around.

OHM Ls: your typical better than average hitter, .280 average, 20 home runs.

OHM 5s are my Miguel Cabreras. They can do it all pretty much as good or better than most. Just thank good they work for less. :-)

ML is not a bad option to consider in this case I'm thinking.

I've read bass integration with the ES panels has gotten much better with some newer MLs than used to be the case. I last heard a serious ML demo (in comparison to Focal) about 5-6 years ago (more recent demos at Best Buy in poor setups do not count) and they sounded very nice. Should appeal to panel speaker lovers seeking a more dynamic sound. Do not rule out without hearing!

Tj said it well!

Like Dynaudio, hard to go wrong with Totem I would say.