Maggies and Ceiling Height

[cackalacky]

My listening room is 14 x 22 with 8 ft. ceiling height. Is this a problem/challenge with ribbon speakers, Maggies in particular? About the only downsides I hear about about Maggies are bass extension and placement sensitivity. Thoughts?

[blackraven]

Your room should be fine. Which model are you considering? I have the 1.6's and the bass is very good, especially since I did some tube rolling. The bass in a maggie is different. Its very tight and controlled but you don't get that same thump that a cone speaker can give.

By the way. I have a pair of MMG's in my basement which has 8' ceilings and the Maggies are pushed out to the corners of the room. This actually improved the bass dramatically.

[manlystanley]

My listening room is 14 x 22 with 8 ft. ceiling height. Is this a problem/challenge with ribbon speakers, Maggies in particular? About the only downsides I hear about about Maggies are bass extension and placement sensitivity. Thoughts?

Maggies are great speakers, without a doubt. I had my set with 8 ft. ceilings and it didn't cause much of a problem.

Best Regards,
Stan

[cackalacky]

Your room should be fine. Which model are you considering? I have the 1.6's and the bass is very good, especially since I did some tube rolling. The bass in a maggie is different. Its very tight and controlled but you don't get that same thump that a cone speaker can give.

By the way. I have a pair of MMG's in my basement which has 8' ceilings and the Maggies are pushed out to the corners of the room. This actually improved the bass dramatically.

If I go the Maggie route, and I'm confident that my room won't hamper the sound, I'll likely go with the new 1.7's, or some used 1.6's. I auditioned some 1.7's recently and was floored by the accuracy, detail, bass, sound stage. Unfortunately, the dealer's listening area was much different than my room.

A lot of the decision will hinge on whether I go 2 channel stereo or multi-channel HT. Still learning.

[Feanor]

My listening room is 14 x 22 with 8 ft. ceiling height. Is this a problem/challenge with ribbon speakers, Maggies in particular? About the only downsides I hear about about Maggies are bass extension and placement sensitivity. Thoughts?

Magneplanars, (and basically any, speakers with tall, narrow drivers or driver arrays), have inherently limited vertical dispersion and therefore tend to be a good choice for low ceiling heights -- not that 8 feet is a problem in any case.

[Geoffcin]

If I go the Maggie route, and I'm confident that my room won't hamper the sound, I'll likely go with the new 1.7's, or some used 1.6's. I auditioned some 1.7's recently and was floored by the accuracy, detail, bass, sound stage. Unfortunately, the dealer's listening area was much different than my room.

A lot of the decision will hinge on whether I go 2 channel stereo or multi-channel HT. Still learning.

Not only will your room NOT "hamper the sound", but I really like the dimensions you have for maggies which like to be out into the room more for the bass to develop properly.

Magneplanar speakers have an undeserved reputation for being "finicky" for placement. It just isn't the case. I've uses maggies in both large rooms and small. Once you've set them up correctly it's easy to tweak the placement. The only caveat is that your "sweet spot" will be smaller in modest sized rooms.

[blackraven]

I've listened to a pair of 1.6's at my local dealer in a room that I estimated to be about 12x12 maybe smaller. The sound was great. However he did have bass traps and room treatments on the walls. Every speaker that I have heard in that room sounds great.

[blackraven]

If I go the Maggie route, and I'm confident that my room won't hamper the sound, I'll likely go with the new 1.7's, or some used 1.6's. I auditioned some 1.7's recently and was floored by the accuracy, detail, bass, sound stage. Unfortunately, the dealer's listening area was much different than my room.

A lot of the decision will hinge on whether I go 2 channel stereo or multi-channel HT. Still learning.

You can go Multi channel with Maggies. They make some multi channel speakers. I use a 3.1 set up with a B&W center. My main focus is on 2 ch music so I don't care if I don't have a matching center or even rear speakers. Movies still sound great with the center and sub.

My only recommendation is that you dont skimp on the amp, preamp and source, because maggies will expose the weak link. Also, find an amp and pre known for producing good low end to get the most out of the maggies bass. You will be suprised how much bass you can get out of a broken in 1.6 with the right gear and placement.

However, if you must have thundering bass, consider adding a non ported sub to the mix like a Martin Logan, Velodyne or even one of the new Emotiva subs if your on a budget.

[Fred70433]

I've listened to a pair of 1.6's at my local dealer in a room that I estimated to be about 12x12 maybe smaller. The sound was great. However he did have bass traps and room treatments on the walls. Every speaker that I have heard in that room sounds great.

Great to hear. The 1.7's should sound just fine in my 12x14 room with a 9 foot ceiling. I don't have any bass traps, but I do use acoustic panels all around.