I'm a little stumped

Thanks for all your thoughts. This is my first post here and I hoping I wouldn't get "...are you nuts man? have you no ears?!" I've been out of the audiophile game for many years & was all pumped up to dive back in....seems I did a face-plant on my first outing. :-(

I haven't written Maggies off by any means. Maybe it's just a memory ripened with age, but my buddies MG1's from almost 30 years ago sounded "stunning". It could be I was young & impressionable...but I was running this same MA6100 amp and a pair of LaScala's at the time.

There is a guy locally that has a pair of MMG's that are well broken in. He runs them with a sub..I'll try to get in touch with him and listen for a bit.

The 1.6's I listen to were said to be about a year old and "...I'm sure they're broken in"....though I wonder if that was the case. They may have been a year old, but who knows if they were seasoned as well as they should be. The room itself was hard surfaces (scattered with equipment on shelves) everywhere...it occurred to me that kinda sucked for an audio shop.

Plato,
Your "..surpassed by a wide enough margin to warrant their retirement" is exactly it. You mentioned "dynamic"...this was a significant shortcoming of everything I listened to, including the Thiels. I didn't realize how much of a shortcoming until I listened to my own setup last night. Horns & drums were jumping out of the Chorus MUCH more than any I auditioned, no comparison. As I've lived with the Chorus speakers for about 10 years now I was (am?) ready to move on & was prepared (hopeful?...willing?) to be blown away by the Maggies ...to a point where I'd bring a set home. Then all I'd need is a boost up in power & I'd be rockin & rollin so to speak. Time to fall back & regroup I guess.

Marco,
My speaker 'history' over the last 30 years is a pair of JBL 100's, Klipsch Lascalas (then I went back to school & my apartment was just slightly larger than the two LaScalas...so I moved to -> ), B&W DM1200's, then the Chorus II's. I see the LaScalas are really going for larger money these days..I saw on pair for $4K new & he would sell them for 3200-3600??? Sounds like a lot as I paid $1100 or $1300 back in '76ish. I haven't considered the Klipchorns-corner horns...good thought! Your tube amp idea is intriguing also. That too never occurred to me, may have to look into that. Any suggestions on make?

Slip,
I'm down, but not out. I haven't written Maggies off. If anything I'm a bit more determined to listen to them 'right'. I may have to look for a used pair of MMG's to play around with. 1-2 hours in a audio shop can't compare to living with them for a while.

Jgeyer/Frogger,
I suspect you're both right. The one's I listened to were not broken in & they are different, very different, than I'm used to. Chalk it up to experience, but I'm going to see if I can hear them for real before I end with a go/no-go.

These speakers are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum in almost every respect. It is no wonder that you prefer what you have to the polar opposite. You are accustomed to a very specific type of presentation from the speakers that you currently own and have been using for years.

I can understand how one would think that Maggie's would be a step backwards, but in all reality, they would be a step sideways. One would simply end up trading one set of variables for a completely different set of variables based on personal preferences. The truth of the matter is that we all want / need something that takes the best features / sonic attributes of each of these designs and combines them into one.

Unfortunately, that isn't easily done, so we have to pick and choose what we like and want as individuals. Luckily, there are a lot of different products out there. The problem is finding one that does everything you want at a price you can afford.

Stick with what you've got until you find something that you think is better. Nothing wrong with being happy or satisfied and it is a helluva lot cheaper : ) Sean
>

Fishboat,

Just a thought.......

Like many of the other posters said, "If it makes you happy, be happy". If you like the sound of your currnet system, but feel compelled to upgrade, you could consider keeping the speakers and auditioning a different amp or source. You don't list you source components, but since your system is 30 years old, I suspect you have a turntable. TTs can be excellent sources and a good 30 year old table may be hard to beat without spending big bucks. However, if you are using an older CD player as a source, you may have a plethora of upgrade choices. Digital has improved dramatically over the years and a killer digital rig can be bought for less than the cost of a pair of Maggie 1.6s.

BTW, 25 years ago, I was absolutely blown away by a pair of Maggie Tympanis and a big SS amp in a local Hi-Fi store. I've yet to ever match the thrill of hearing that system. But times change, products get better (in general) and my preference for sound and music is different now. But it would be interesting to see if I got the same feeling hearing this setup today as I did 25 years ago when I was in my late teens.....

Enjoy,

TIC

I owned 1.6 Maggies for about a year and a half and during that time I came to the conclusion the QR tweeter has too much output and has to be tamed. When set up properly with the right equipment the speaker is terrific. Things like ficus trees between the speaker and the wall help a great deal to tame the QRs.

BTW the 1.6 has plenty of bottom end, some have measured it to 35HZ. I was always very impressed by its low end with the several amps I tried. Look somewhere else for bass problems, a subwoofer is the last thing these speakers need and a sure way to lose the wonderful coherence they have which is one of the best things about them IMO.

Fishboat - What kinds of music do you like to listen to? How big is your listening room? What is your budget? The answer to those questions may narrow down your choices in the wide selection of amplifcation that will work with you Chorus II's. My experience with Klipsch speakers (just the Heritage stuff) is that pairing them off with tubes brings a greater sense of realism, holography and airiness (as a broad generalization). There's a whole wide range of tube amplification for all kinds of budgets. The wonderful thing about them is that even the less expensive choices can be VERY rewarding. I do suggest taking a listen to what this kind of combination sounds like before you buy. Just as your surprise with the Maggies, you may also be surprised at how different tubes may sound when your expectations are set by your SS Mac. As already has been suggested; if you're happy and you know it clap your hands! If there is a dealer near you who will let you audtion gear that may be a good idea. Or post the thread with your area and ask if a fellow A'goner may like to let you come take a listen to their tube system. If you are near Seattle feel free to ping me off the thread. I'd be happy to make a few suggestions based upon my experience, and assuming your budget is moderate based upon your current setup. Jolida is making some fine integrated amps that are upgradable and sound wonderful stock. Most are of a very versatile push/pull design. Their 302B or 502B would work quite well with your Chorus II's. Quicksilver Mini Mites are also excellent amps but would require a preamp. I have not heard them, but have heard great things about the Cayin line of integrated tube amps here on the Gon - likely very similar to the Jolida stuff as both are moderately priced tube amps built in China. Do try to take a listen before you take a leap. As far as your experience with the LaScala price you mentioned: Klipsch still is manufacturing the LaScala and the Khorn at a comensurate price for a new speaker of that expense to manufacture in the current market and economy. So the price you observed was likely a newer version purchased recently at retail. Vintage LaScalas can still be easily found in the $1000 range, and Khorns in the $2000 range.

Marco