Maggie 3.7s + TriCenter in HT - is the impact ther


Please - no non-empirical opinions; I'm looking for comments from Maggie owners who use their speakers for both music listening AND HT use.

I'm looking to replace my B&W 803s/HTM2 + Musical Fidelity XP-200s (3 x ea bridged) with Maggie 3.7s + Tri-center powered by NAD amps. Pre is a Meridian G61r. Sub is a Paradigm Seismic 12. I'm going to do an extended listening session in stereo next week but my concern is loosing the "impact" of cone speakers on music (mandolin plucks, kick drums, etc. - ya'll will know what I mean).

My room is 17 x 18 w/8' ceilings, just this side of acoustically dead (slight echo on hand clap). With a SIM LED projector we use the room for a lot of TV and I watch/listen to a lot of concert DVD and Bluray (Oppo BD93). I'm just now getting the time to go back and listen to CD music with plans to download more HiDef audio. I've got my whole CD library in uncompressed Apple and plan to use my Apple TV to stream auto into the Meridian.

I'm fortunate to have the foundation and the funds to make the replacement (old gear will go up on Audiogon). That said, and realizing that I have to trust my own ears, I'm interested in comments from Maggie owners who use their speakers for both audio AND HT.

Thanks in advance,
gordon
beaverlake
Gordon, I've used two models of Maggies for music and home theater, and spent several hours listening to the tri-center with 3.7's at Magnepan.

My first job was in motion picture audio, and spent many hours listening to original elements in the screening room. At the time, I had Tympani 1-D's at home, and when watching movies with VHS hi fi, they blew away anything I heard in the studio, which in turn blew away anything I've ever heard at a theater. Big dynamics can have more bass slam, but the realism of the Maggies more than made up for that. It turns out to be as important for film as it is for music. The realism will astound you.

A big dynamic will have more bass slam than the 3.7's. Not a show stopper, since if you want more bass slam for explosions and such, you can use your subs.

Maggies are more realistic for music than dynamics anywhere near their price point, and, really, most speakers at any price point. The 3.7's will play plenty loud if they have plenty of juice, and louder still if you offload some bass onto the subs. You can still get higher SPL's out of big dynamics, or bigger Maggies. But without knowing what levels you like to listen at, I have no way of knowing if this will matter to you. The 3.7's certainly aren't small speakers -- they play within the range of full-size dynamics.

When it comes to mandolin plucks, snare drums, etc., the Maggies will blow away almost any dynamic speaker. The ribbon tweeter in particular is something special. What the 3.7's won't do is chest-thumping bass. Also, I'd describe the perspective as a window onto a real acoustic space, rather than instruments in your room. They're wall melters -- in a good setup, the walls disappear and it's as if you've been transported into a much bigger space. That's exactly what you need for movies, and for acoustical music. Less so if you want a guitar player in the room with you.

You may well find that you want to liven up your room. Dipoles need/want much less acoustic treatment than boxes.

Tri-Center is unique. It's much more than just three-channel stereo. After you listen to it, when you go back to stereo, stereo doesn't work. It's the weirdest thing. It sounds scarcely better than mono until the next day. I didn't believe it until I tried it myself.

One of the main reasons I've stayed with Maggies all these years is because I do use them in a dual-purpose setup. I find that they give me much of the transparency of stats, and much of the slam of dynamics (the caveat being that the Tympanis have more bass slam and extension than 3.7's -- but then, you're using a sub). In my experience, there's no better speaker for home theater use.
Thank you for the very considered response. I'm hoping to get a bit more "slam" through the addition of the two DWM panels. I'm also going to use the NAD M-25 to drive each of the Maggie panels: 2 x 3.7, 2 x MMC2, 2 x DWM, and 1 x CCR. I figure with the DWMs and my Paragigm Seismic 12 (which has exhibited extrememly fast response) I will have struck the balance for music and movies.

I've pulled the trigger, now I'm waiting. With luck we'll have the intial set up done before I travel over a 2.5 week period. I'd like to loop a CD during that time so break in can happen while I'm not home!

I'll post a "review" of sorts here and on a few other forums since thru our dealter Wendell seems to be indicating the uptake on the tri-center hasn't been overwhelming and I think it makes tremendous common sense. But then I'm a heretic who believes that Meridian's Trifield processing is an improvement over plain sterwo so, heck, what do I know.

Thanks again,
gordon
Hey, congrats! I've been hearing great things about the DWM.

The problem with Tri-Center I think is that very few have had an opportunity to hear it. Add to that the expense, and the reluctance of some audiophiles to leave the analog domain, plus the fact that many audiophiles have trouble accommodating even two speakers . . . So it's good to know that you're planning to post a review. I look forward to it.