Which Magnepans 3.5 or 1.6?

New is obviously an advantage. The MG1.6 is a significant improvement over earlier QR models. Some people (I am one) actually prefer the QR approach (tweeter is part of the one membrane) over the separate different-technology ribbon. I suggest you listen to both. If the QR sounds good to you, skip the ribbon.

A good compromise would be the 2.5.5?

(Sorry!) If bass reproduction is important to you, then the 3.5. If you listen only to the Vienna Boy Choir (albeit, sans organ accompaniment) or are a fan of the solo violin/flute/piccolo repertory then, by all means, the 1.6. The 1.6 is also good for wiring your doorbell to it.

Oh yes ....... opinions are golden. With a budget of $1800 and given the current situation. I would opt not to buy something ten years old. I have 3.6's that are powered by a Spectron Musician II. They are indeed powerful performers. Tubes? Well if that's your bag.... Really if it came down to it. I would save the additional monies needed and buy new 3.6's. Then again if were doing all of the printed suggestions. Might as well nix the idea of buying anything new........

Pal

Do yourself a favor and go for the 3.5's. Although I like the 1.6, I feel the 3.5 is the better speaker. True ribbon tweeter for those exquisite highs, a liquid midrange panel and a separate woofer panel giving deeper bass. Yes buying new will give you a warranty; however, if you are careful, most sellers on A'gon are extremely honest and will not sell you a badly used pair. (I say most because I have been burned before, but that is another story and did not involve Maggies!)

If in the future something does go wrong, Magnepan will rebuild your speakers for a nominal fee. Give them a call and see how much a rebuild would cost (not that the used speakers you buy would need it!).

The only drawback? You will need an even more powerful (high current) amp for the 3.5's. But since you are planning to upgrade anyway....

Great people, great company, great products! You cannot go wrong either way! IMHO

I have owned MG12s, 1.6s, 2.6s, 3.5s, and 3.6s. I think your best overall bet would be to try to find a pair of 2.6s, which have the true ribbon tweeter and is one of the best speakers Magnepan has ever made (according to my ears and Jim Winey), and, put the money you would save in to a new amplifier. Not a lot of people are familiar with the 2.6s, so they often get overlooked, but I think they are astounding, considering you can get an excellent condition pair on the used market for ~$1000.

I think the 1.6s are wonderful speakers, but there is no question that they sound somewhat veiled next to the true ribbon designs. As other people have said, the 3.5s are hard to drive properly, noticably harder than the 2.6s.

I don't think you should buy the 1.6s for the warranty alone. Magnepans are harder to abuse than you would imagine. The greatest risk with buying used, either 2.6s or 3.5s, is that the shipper may destroy them in transit. I actually had to have Magnepan do serious repairs to both a pair of 2.6s and a pair of 3.5s due to shipping abuse. The good news is that Magnepan is wonderful to work with on these sorts of issues and will charge you very reasonable fees. Also, if only the tweeter gets damaged, they are designed to be easily removed and replaced by the owner, at relatively low cost.

All of their speaker designs produce wonderful, if somewhat different presentations. All three of the models I discussed are dynamic and coherent. As you go up, you get more bass output and airier highs, but, to be frank, the 1.6 is the most coherent of the bunch.

Tradeoffs are inevitable in the life of an audiophile, but if you go with Magnepan, it is hard to make a bad decision!

Good luck to you!