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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
audiokinesis
2,716 posts
 
Most of my experience has been with different planars (as well as with several bipolars), but I don't see much advantage to going with a smaller model instead of a larger one based on distance from the wall. The relevant factor is the path length for that first reflection off the wall behind the speakers, and that doesn't change with panel size. In general, the ear interprets early-arrival reflections as coloration and late-arrival ones as ambience.

In my opinion three feet out is definitely less than ideal, but it can still work well. I would consider diffusing the backwave, perhaps with ye olde fake ficus trees, and absorbing the backwave as a last resort. What you want to avoid is a strong, distinct, fairly early reflection. Using a large toe-in angle can also help.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
James Tanner (Bryston pres) found 3ft to be the perfect distance from the front wall, and said they sounded best in his smallest demo room. I agree. Biggest reason is because Magnepans are perfect nearfield speakers(maybe not the 3.6/20.1).
jeffkad OP
211 posts
 
Duke, if I diffuse or absorb the backwave, don't I kill the ambiance, depth, palpability, etc of the dipole sound? It seems to me that the bi-directionality (maggie, soundlab) or the omni-directionality (mbl, ohm)or the boxlessness (nola, legacy whisper) is what makes these speakers different (and to me, better) than boxes.

stthomas, am I wrong to assume that the bigger maggies afford better bass, dynamics, etc? If I can afford 10k or more, why would I want to drop down to smaller maggies? As much as i like maggies, i don't think the smaller maggies will compete with far more expensive spkrs, as the things the boxes (or baffle-less) do better will far outweigh what the small mags do well.
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
Yeah, Id get the 3.6's/20.1's if they work well in smaller rooms, and sitting close. I couldnt comment on them, because Ive never heard those in a small room at nearfield or mid distance. My guess is you just need to be far enough that the tweeter and bass panel sound as one. Theres a larger gap of space in the 3.6's tweeter & bass panels, then the 1.6. Just throwing that out there, not sure if it makes a difference.
hazard
55 posts
 
I'm on my 2nd pair of Maggies. I started out with 2.5s and upgraded to the 3.6s around 4 years ago. The one thing I can tell you is that the positioning is everything. Moving them front or back will dramatically alter the sound. I say get them, you'll find a spot that works. I have my Mags approximately 3.5' out from the wall. The inside edges are about 5' 8" apart, their centers each about 13' from my listening position.
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