Pricewise the 1.6 and 3.3 are close, within $200, so there's not much to save with the speaker purchase. On the flipside though, I would have to spend more on the amp(s) to drive the 3.3. The 1.6, from what I've heard, is an easier speaker to drive than the 3.3.
Someone selling a 1.6 made the following comment to me. I welcome your comments and observations:
'The 1.6s are much better: more coherent and
musical. The ribbon on the 3.3s does not have the same character as the planar woofers. Secondly, the speakers sound
better out the back than the front, because the woofer is blocked by the front mounted perforated steel plate like the older
maggies. This was corrected in the newer maggies like the 3.6s and the 1.6s, where the plate is in the back.'
Someone selling a 1.6 made the following comment to me. I welcome your comments and observations:
'The 1.6s are much better: more coherent and
musical. The ribbon on the 3.3s does not have the same character as the planar woofers. Secondly, the speakers sound
better out the back than the front, because the woofer is blocked by the front mounted perforated steel plate like the older
maggies. This was corrected in the newer maggies like the 3.6s and the 1.6s, where the plate is in the back.'