new speaker

[sethmckiness]

starting to look at replacing my tannoys, looking at something like a maggie mg12 or a paradigm product. anyone heard the millenia 200s?

[PeruvianSkies]

What type of Tannoy's do you have? If you are going to replace them what type of budget do you have in mind? What are you going to power these speakers with? These are all things to consider before making a selection. You will want to demo a variety until you are satisfied. Please provide more information and maybe I can help steer you a little better, as well as the many other experienced people on this forum.

[sethmckiness]

ok, I am running a modified Eico ST-70, (new caps in ps section and teflon couplers and bypassing) I work at a retail store so I can get things at cost, and might be able to stretch my budget to get mg 1.6s, but would rather wait before making that kind of investment.

I am waiting for the new monitor series to come out but te short list right now from lowest to highest would look something like this

MMG Magnepans
Mon-7 Paradigm
Milennia-200 Paradigm
MG-12 Magnapan
studio 40 Paradigm

My amp has enough oomph to drive the 1.6s, so thats not an issue, and neither is bass response, I can always by a sub. It's a catch 22 with the maggies though with being able to live with them. I have a cat and a dog, and I don't have a ton of space, plus having to pull them out to listen to them. But they soundstage so well compared to the paradigms, But the paradigms have much better frequency response and are easier to live with, with much better off axis response. The maggies really beam bad, if you know what I mean..

Thats my quandary. I was also curious how the milennia 200 did since my shop has not got a pair in, and I don't think will..
1.6 Magnepans

[sethmckiness]

oh yeah, the tannoys were fusion 2s, not a bad little speaker, but nothing special..

[Woochifer]

Take your time. Plenty of speakers out there to try out. If you're working at a retail store, have you thought about trying other brands that your store doesn't carry? (Blasphemous yes, but still an alternative if you're trying to expand your options)

I know that Paradigm announced a boatload of new speakers at the CEDIA expo last month, but who knows when those revised models will actually hit the dealer showrooms. I remember that the original Signature series speakers were announced more than a year before they actually started shipping, while the Studio v.3 models were shipping only about a month after they were first announced.

If you're choosing between the Maggies and the Paradigms, it shouldn't be too hard. You're talking about two very different approaches and two very different sounds. It will ultimately come down to what you plan to use them for on a day-to-day basis. If I spent most of my time listening to two-channel orchestral pieces, I might have gone with something like the 1.6 as well. But, those aren't my listening habits, plus I wanted to go multichannel with my budget, and the Maggies aren't easy to squeeze into a smaller room, considering how much space they need around them to really sound their best.

What else is available in your area, and how do you intend to use the speakers? (i.e., two-channel or multichannel; primarily acoustic music or amplified music; mostly music or mostly movies; etc.) Those are all considerations and you got time. The only time constraint would be if you're looking to get a closeout deal on one of the discontinued Paradigm models. Otherwise, if you're waiting for the new models, there's no rush.

[PeruvianSkies]

Sounds to me like a serious strategy is in need. For starters, you need to think about the space that these are going into. If, as you said, you have to pull them in and out to listen, well, that's can be a bit of a pain over time. It also depends on how long you plan to keep these speakers and also how long you plan on living in your current space. Sometimes those factors are hard to determine, but that's why some strategy is needed so that you can maximize your purchasing power. I know that if I had to go back and start over again with my approach that I would have, instead of making mistakes along the way. So it might be wise to consider all factors involved and get the best speaker you can for the budget you can that will also be usable in your space and in your current situation. That's just my opinion though.

[sethmckiness]

well, there is not a whole lot of options without traveling a long ways.. so, being from a smaller market has it's disadvantages. Occasionally some interesting used items cross the sales floor.

I do plan on building two separate systems in the not too distant future, a good-great two channel music system(may have a sub) and a basic decent 5.1( probably paradigm atoms ps-1000 cc-370 Marantz sr-7001) The surround sound stuff I have installed enough that I am not worried about. but I feel it's always good to look for input on two channel stuff since there is so many different ways to do it right.

so needless to say this will be for te two channel system. I am not even sure If the Eico will be my main two channel piece in a year, it may become a bedroom amp, it maybe be sold off, or if one of the transformers goes out, it will probably be stripped for parts and have some of the things sold on ebay. It's a great amp, but it is very replaceable..