Magnepan lover, which one do you choose?

I hate to say it because I still like the Magnepan products and would buy them again if I wanted to dedicate the space to get the most out out of them. But, beware of any older speakers. These designs have a problem with the voice coil wires delaminating from the mylar panel. It happened to my MG111A's after 9 to 10 years. True, this was in humid Florida, but the house was always air conditioned. The adhesive broke down and turned gummy. I Don't know whether or not they have made any changes to this process on the newer products.

With regards to the comment by Hifiharv above, I have been using a pair of 3.5r's since 1994 (purchased brand new from an authorized dealer) and I have not seen the probelm he describes. Same thing for a pair of MG-IIIa's that I used for eight years before that (also purchased brand new from an authorized dealer). In my experience, Maggies are built for the long haul.

Cjlundgren....do you live in a humid climate?

I had 1.6's and now have 3.5's and while I did have the problem described by hifiharv it can happen in any climate. You have to expect this to happen after many years of use and the fix can be handled by the owner if your fairly handy. I've done it with great results to both speakers. As far as equipment I agree that 1.6's are easier to drive than there larger speakers and if your going to consider tube amp's this can be a real challenge. I have used Speltz autoformers with nice results when I was using tubes but have since gone back to SS with my 3.5's. I would go for the ribbon over the QR's. I loved my 1.6's and feel they are some of the best speakers available today but the true ribbon takes you to another level. I listen to mostly jazz and the ribbon tweeter on brass instruments is superb. Either way you won't go wrong by investing in maggies.

I was contemplating a similar decision a couple years ago between the 1.6s and a used pair of 2.7s (both QRs, though). I was able to compare both side be side in my system and the 2.7 was obviously better. They had more bass and created a better soundstage with more depth though they were very similar in the midrange. I bought the 2.7s and have never had any problems with them even though they were built in the mid 1990's. Sorry never tried any of the maggie ribbons.