Building an audio system from scratch...

[Woochifer]

Given your set of music preferences, and eventual goal of building up a home theater system, I'm not sure if the Maggies will work well for you. For a strictly two-channel setup with primarily acoustic music, the Maggies are great speakers, provided that you supply them with sufficient amplification (entry and mid level home theater receivers likely won't work well). But, IMO they are less than ideal for rock, hip hop, and home theater sources.

The Paradigm and Axiom models on your list will trade off some of the Maggies' refinement in exchange for a more aggressive sound that's more atuned to the types of sources that you plan to listen to. As far as the Paradigm Studio series goes, keep in mind that the Studio 80 was discontinued when Paradigm went to the v.3 series a few years ago. And if you plan to go with a subwoofer, you might even want to consider going with the standmount models, as those have some advantages over the floorstanders with regard to the imaging quality.

If you're looking at the home theater option, then your budget will probably limit you to using a midlevel HT receiver for the amplification. The midlevel (~$1,500) Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo, NAD, and Rotel models (among others) should provide more than enough power to drive a full set of your typical 8 ohm speakers, which include those Paradigm and Axiom models, and the otherwise mentioned Klipsch, Energy, Boston, and PSB speakers. More demanding 4 ohm speakers such as the Maggies and Dynaudios, among others, will require external amplification with a home theater setup.

The key is to start with a pair of speakers that work best with your preferences, and then add the matching center and surround speakers. A subwoofer can be added on at any time during the process, and with both home theater and music sources, the sub can provide a huge assist by solidly anchoring the lower frequencies (and allowing you the most flexibility to tailor the sound around the room acoustics).

With a budget of ~$2k and speakers on the caliber of the Studio 60 and Maggie 1.6, you're basically stuck with auditioning for the first pair of speakers, and going with a home theater receiver to start with. Forget about center and surround speakers, and the subwoofer -- you can always add those later on. If you choose to go with more demanding speakers, a home theater receiver will only safely drive ONE pair of 4 ohm speakers at a time. Anymore than two speakers, and you will need to add an external amplifier.

In the Bay Area, the Maggie dealers are Audible Difference in Palo Alto and Stereo Unlimited in Walnut Creek (and if you want to make a road trip, Axiom Audio in Monterey). The Paradigm dealers are Music Lovers Audio/Video (Berkeley and SF), Performance Audio (SF), Sound Perfection (Menlo Park), Stereo Doctor (Dublin), and Bay Area Audio (San Jose). The major Dynaudio dealer in the Bay Area is SF Stereo (SF and Mountain View). All of these dealers carry a decent range of gear from entry level price points up to high end room installations, and are also great spots to try out other speaker brands. Other AV dealers that you can try out include Anderson TV (multiple locations), Magnolia Audio Video (multiple locations), Future Sound (Burlingame), Harmony Audio Video (SF), and Laser City (San Bruno).

[Florian]

Given your set of music preferences, and eventual goal of building up a home theater system, I'm not sure if the Maggies will work well for you. For a strictly two-channel setup with primarily acoustic music, the Maggies are great speakers, provided that you supply them with sufficient amplification (entry and mid level home theater receivers likely won't work well). But, IMO they are less than ideal for rock, hip hop, and home theater sources.

Given the general missinformation and the general missunderstaning of fundematal designs that exist in these type of speakers i suggest you check it out yourself. Have a read here:

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/bbs.html

And these reviews might serve you well, also they are highly reviewed on audioreview. Planar systems can rock and the maggies do not need insane power *ok, more then some ABC Receiver, but thats not what they are designed for.

'Also its given that the Maggies have a pretty flat impedance responce which make them easier then those Paradigms and B&Ws which vary wildly and introduce pahse shifts in the amps.

[Woochifer]

Given the general missinformation and the general missunderstaning of fundematal designs that exist in these type of speakers i suggest you check it out yourself. Have a read here:

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/bbs.html

And these reviews might serve you well, also they are highly reviewed on audioreview. Planar systems can rock and the maggies do not need insane power *ok, more then some ABC Receiver, but thats not what they are designed for.

'Also its given that the Maggies have a pretty flat impedance responce which make them easier then those Paradigms and B&Ws which vary wildly and introduce pahse shifts in the amps.

And how many of these reviews discuss the Maggie 1.6s within the context of a home theater setup and a budget of under $2k? My response was intended to take the poster's sources, goals, and preferences into account.

Just because something is "highly reviewed" (and FYI, the Paradigm Studio models are also "highly reviewed" on Audioreview.com) does not mean that it is the universal solution for all contexts and sources. And whether or not something "rocks" is an entirely subjective evaluation. IMO, "rock, alternative, electronic" (which is what the Igrek stated as his most listened to music) and home theater are not the Maggie's strongsuits, whereas they are strengths with the Paradigm Studio series. Whether the Maggie renders these sources in a way that meet igrek's preferences is something he'll have to decide thru his own listenings.

My listenings with the Maggie 1.6 do not suggest that they would be easier to drive than "those Paradigms and B&Ws" (and BTW, no brought up B&W, so I don't know why you're talking about it here). I seriously doubt that a home theater receiver driving a set of five Maggie 1.6's is less likely to go into protection mode than with a five speaker Paradigm Studio or Axiom setup. Again, consider the context of the budget and the poster's desire to eventually transition into home theater. I will agree that listening is a starting point, which is why I listed the Maggie dealers in this area alongside the others, and those dealers carry plenty of other speaker brands that no one else has mentioned.

[Florian]

I was planning to spend 1500-2000, but can afford to spend more - 3000+, for example. I'm just trying to find some "optimal" middle price point, after which the quality imporvements are marginal. I understand that it's highly subjective, but still was hoping to get some general "rules of thumb" for casual music listening.

Nuff said!

My listenings with the Maggie 1.6 do not suggest that they would be easier to drive than "those Paradigms and B&Ws" (and BTW, no brought up B&W, so I don't know why you're talking about it here). I seriously doubt that a home theater receiver driving a set of five Maggie 1.6's is less likely to go into protection mode than with a five speaker Paradigm Studio or Axiom setup.

Try the Cambridge Audio 540R...works wonderfull....i know this because i had it. Also, the old Onkyo 919 works like a dream.

Do yourself a fav. wooch and meausre your impedance responce on your Paradigms and then do the same on a Maggie. The Maggies acts like a resistor and you only need to drive the 4ohm load and thats it. Simple on the amp!

The reason i bring up B&W is because the "general asumption by none owners" is that planars are hard to drive, this is untrue because i would rather drive a stable 4ohm load then a 4 to 16ohm load.

[StanleyMuso]

Given the general missinformation and the general missunderstaning of fundematal designs that exist in these type of speakers i suggest you check it out yourself. Have a read here:

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/bbs.html

And these reviews might serve you well, also they are highly reviewed on audioreview. Planar systems can rock and the maggies do not need insane power *ok, more then some ABC Receiver, but thats not what they are designed for.

'Also its given that the Maggies have a pretty flat impedance responce which make them easier then those Paradigms and B&Ws which vary wildly and introduce pahse shifts in the amps.

but not everyone has the space to live with speakers which look like and have the dimensions of room dividers.

[Florian]

Thats right, but he didnt mention how large he wants his new speakers or not.