I've had 3 pairs of various Maggies in my system since the early '80s. They have many strengths, and one of the best among them is their imaging. If you're having difficulty getting Maggies to image well, there are a few things that may be the issue, but the speakers themselves are not it. I'm currently running 1.7s in my system, and I would suggest that you wouldn't want any smaller model considering the dimensions of your room.
Most potential issues have been addressed by others here, but I'll reiterate them to give them the attention that they deserve. First, placement is absolutely critical for these speakers. Literally inches can make a substantial difference in their performance. Toe-in is something that especially needs to be experimented with. Also be sure to play with the tweeters being on the inside vs. the outside edge by swapping your left & right speakers. It can literally take weeks to fine tune the placement of Maggies until they're just right. And, of course, you will only have one relatively narrow sweet spot. My wife has always joked that I'm anti-social due to the single chair in my listening room...
Second, Maggies are very sensitive to what is upstream from them. In fact, considering their relatively low price, they are amazingly so. You really can't skimp on decent components and expect your Maggies to still sound good. That includes things like cabling, vibration control, etc. This doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune, but you have to select other aspects of your system with an eye on synergy. For example, I'm running a Rogue Sphinx integrated amp with my speakers. A very cheap amp price-wise, but the Maggies love it. Surprisingly, I tried Rogue's much more expensive Pharaoh amp with them (that has very similar technology) and I found the sound lacking. Again, synergy is what it's all about. That and lots of current! :^)
Finally, you may have issues with your room acoustics. These can be challenging, but can be reduced with room diffusers and absorbers. Of course you can purchase those that are specifically designed for audio, or you can just use many common items such as carpeting, shelves filled with books, draperies, tapestries, etc. Hope this helps! Michael
Most potential issues have been addressed by others here, but I'll reiterate them to give them the attention that they deserve. First, placement is absolutely critical for these speakers. Literally inches can make a substantial difference in their performance. Toe-in is something that especially needs to be experimented with. Also be sure to play with the tweeters being on the inside vs. the outside edge by swapping your left & right speakers. It can literally take weeks to fine tune the placement of Maggies until they're just right. And, of course, you will only have one relatively narrow sweet spot. My wife has always joked that I'm anti-social due to the single chair in my listening room...
Second, Maggies are very sensitive to what is upstream from them. In fact, considering their relatively low price, they are amazingly so. You really can't skimp on decent components and expect your Maggies to still sound good. That includes things like cabling, vibration control, etc. This doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune, but you have to select other aspects of your system with an eye on synergy. For example, I'm running a Rogue Sphinx integrated amp with my speakers. A very cheap amp price-wise, but the Maggies love it. Surprisingly, I tried Rogue's much more expensive Pharaoh amp with them (that has very similar technology) and I found the sound lacking. Again, synergy is what it's all about. That and lots of current! :^)
Finally, you may have issues with your room acoustics. These can be challenging, but can be reduced with room diffusers and absorbers. Of course you can purchase those that are specifically designed for audio, or you can just use many common items such as carpeting, shelves filled with books, draperies, tapestries, etc. Hope this helps! Michael