I have listened to the many versions of Maggie's throughout the years and find them easy on the ears,with very airy presentation,and imaging that has a sense of reality. The only thing I have noticed though is that they are somewhat limited in dynamics,the attack,in the mids and lower freq.But mated with a superior amp,tube or solid state it is one of the best.Needs some type of subwoofer.No Recommendations as of yet.

I've owned the 3.5R's for about 2 1/2 years now and I still can't get over how great they sound. The spaciousness and warmth of this panel speaker isn't like any dynamic speaker you'll ever hear. The bass on these speakers is very surprising compared with earlier models - the panels really do get all the way down in the low 30Hz as claimed. I've run a sub-woofer crossed over at 60Hz and it really adds very little improvement. The speakers can sound a little bright in some rooms but that can be tamed with placement and proper wall treatment on the rear walls. The sound stage is very good although the imaging is best in one spot, ie. there's a bit of a venetian blind effect if you move out of the sweet spot. The overall transparency which is very good can be taken to another whole level by using an active cross over instead of the passive one and bi-amping. I'm using an old modified DB systems XO and it's a great improvement. The speaker is a bit power hungry to say the least. It's not the best system for headbangers - you'll blow the fuses, but I'm told the power handling is much better than the 3.3s and earlier. I'm using the speaker with Pass Lab 2's and a highly moded Counterpoint SA-20 on the bottom. I haven't heard anything better than this combination anywhere---- period and I've listened to a lot of systems. Buy a pair you'll be happy you did.

I think you will find the Velodyne FSR-10 or 12 are well matched for the Maggi's. I only use them for Home Theater when watching DVD. The Velodyne FSR are a good compliment to your system if you own Maggi's... but I still prefer to bypass the sub for true audiophile listening...
Also, I still have my IIIa's in one room an the 3.5's in the living room... Though the the 3.5's are very stylish... by 15 year old IIIa's produce more bass response than the 3.5's, but the 3,5's are are more dynamically correct in the mid's and high's... You should expect your 3.5's to age like a find wine... get heavier in bass in time... consider it a break in period...

Though I have been threatend that my IIIa's will soon break down and need an overall, a good friend of mine has the III's (not a)... his are 20 years old and still going strong...

Sorry, I did not qualify the Aragon 8008 model I recommended... Aragon 8008BB... Though the 8008ST is ok, I found it a bit harsh in the mid and high frequencies... If you are familiar with the 4004 Mk II then you will find the 8008BB to be comparable with a few improvements such as the individual toroid transformers for each channel and improved bass response...

I have been listening to the 3.5 for the last 3 years. This speaker have the following characteristics: Superb tonal balance when properly positioned in your listening room. The soundstage is glorious; however the sweet spot is very narrow. The dynamic range is surprising for this type of speaker. The 3.5 are also very detailed and can preserve any instrument's timbre.
Matched with excellent electronics, the 3.5 are very musical and coherent. These speakers are not very sensitive and have low impedance: you need a very solid amplifier. The proper placement of this speaker is very challenging but the patient audiophile will be rewarded when auditioning his/her favorite music. I find the 3.5 excellent in reproducing just about all kind of music.

To enjoy this speaker to the fullest you need, in my opinion, to be careful with the following:

1. Speaker placement is critical
2. Size and acoustic treatment of your listening room
3. Quality of electronics. Special considerations in selecting the amplifier given the speaker's low sensitivity and impedance.

Bought a pair of 3.5R speakers a month ago, and have since been attempting to define their character. So far, I'd say very transparent and open, with crisp and sparkling highs and a to-die-for midrange. Vocals from the likes of Enya, Rita Coolidge, Jann Arden have been simply stunning. Lows will go down there with power, but the planar bass is much more subtle than my old conies -- might want a sub for movies. Very sensitive to room positioning. Blown several fuses on my Hafler so far, so am looking for a new amp/preamp combo. Need a nuclear power plant in the back yard for more power. Any upstream system weaknesses are gleefully exposed by these hummers, but they're still keepers.

I have read nothing but raves about Magnepan products, with a consensus that their only real drawbacks are awkward size/placement and a narrow sweet spot. So I went to a certain well-known hi-end emporium in Manhattan (upper east side) to have a listen to the 1.6's and the 3.5's. I heard the 3.5's with state-of-the-art amplication and front end: Spectral transport/DAC, ARC preamp, Aragon Amp. In short, there's no way any competent speaker could sound bad with this setup, so I prepared myself for some fabulous music. [I brought an audiophile buddy along as well.]
Well...that was the worst piece-of-crap noise I have ever experienced with anything remotely approaching hi-end equipment! I mean it was stunningly crappy! I left in a huff, figuring that the guy who demoed the system had been in the business too long and was deaf or something. I came back a month later and asked to hear the 1.6's. I was treated to a CD in a Pioneer LD/CD player and a Sunfire Cinema Grand amp, with a Sunfire True Sub included. Again, it sounded like crap! I could blame the mass market CD player this time perhaps.

I've heard enough systems to be able to intelligently decipher audiophile magazine reviews, so it's hard to believe that Maggie speaker are that horrible given the reviews I've read. So I have concluded two things from my horrific experience. First, I will never spend one red cent at the aforementioned dealer. They were arrogant (I talked to the proprietor on the first visit and someone else on the next visit) and apparently assumed I was stupid or perhaps just too poor to know the difference between good sound and crap. These guys were telling me how wonderful this crap sounded!

Secondly, and more important, I can guess that if the Maggies do indeed sound good then it must take one heck of a lot of work to make sound their best. Think about it, how in the world could you make Spectral/ARC/Aragon/Maggie sound just plain BAD?! I'm talking ZERO soundstage/imaging, unnatural timbre, unremarkable spaciousness, etc. By way of contrast, I heard the M-L Aerius i in a bad room, with low-end electronics (Acurus/Arcam) and it still sounded good--not world-class, but enough for me to want to hear it hooked into a good system to see what they can really do. If I had never heard of Maggie or read detailed reviews, I would have LAUGHED OFF Maggies as crap and dismissed them forever as unworthy of consideration.

So I can't really give any kind of rating on these speakers. I would appreciate any suggestions on where I could hear Maggies in their true glory (esp. the 1.6's) in the NYC area.

I have been using Magneplanar speakers for several years now and the models ranged fron the MG1B,Tympani IIA, Tympani IIIB, Tympani IV and finally the MG III because of room size limitations. I have always enjoyed using these planars.With regard to room placement I tried out the following in a 10ft. x 11ft. sized room. The speakers were placed 8ft. from the rear wall and 3ft. from the front wall and the chair was 1ft. in front of the speakers. I found this arrangement rather good however it limits the listening to only one person.
I have been thinking about the standard placement which leaves the speakers some 3/4ft. from the rear wall and have come to believe that the position which I have described above to be somewhat more satisfying. I would be grateful if any others have tried out similar placements and would wish to comment on this.
Thank you.
Martin

MART=MORON
quit pretending to know what you babble.

thank you

mr. brain

Mart, whcih source components did u drive the MG3.5Rs and the MG2.7QRs with? I happen to own these speakers and use them in both HT and 2 channel settings and frankly, I do not concur with your conclusions. My source components are, Classe M1000 monoblocks, EAD's DSP 9000 series III, Aragon 8008BB, EAD's theater Encore, Sony DVP 7700, and CAL CL10. Not an awesome combo but sufficient to belie your claims.