Jim,
Aren't you the guy who had Maggies in-house and comparing them to the Lors? Or was that John 151?
I have both, but I don't recall comparing them.
Maybe I am mistaken, then.....I thought for sure someone on here had both and was trying to decide which to keep.....that wasn't you?
Even if it wasn't, can you comment on the comparison now? lol
Well, that may have been me.
I actually haven't done a lot of critical listening, and I am not sure if the Lors are fully broken in. Also, I have not put much work into speaker position. However, I will state my initial impressions.
First off, I think it is important to specify what change I was looking for. The Maggies sounded great on accoustics and vocals, but were lacking punch (unless really cranked up), and just did not play most rock CDs very well. Also, they really sounded best when cranked up - the more juice you give them, the better they sound. Another downside of the Maggies is that it seemed like some sounds were over stated, while others were understated. The odd thing is that this was not accross the board - some CDs suffered from this, while others did not. I am not sure if the Maggies are just being accurate, or if this is a quirck. The upside of the maggies is great imaging, and silky smooth highs. I wanted to fix the short comings, while keeping the postivie attributes.
Instantly it was clear that the Lors had the punch that I was missing, possibly even too much at times. After breaking in for 20-40 hours, the imaging is very good, and the highs are outstanding. They are not quite as 3-dimensional as the Maggies, but they are still very good in this regard. I played the CDs that sounded great on the Maggies, and they sounded very good on the Lors as well. Some sounded better, some not quite as good, but overall, I would call it a draw. So, I feel that the Lors are achieving the goal of keeping the positives. I then played several CDs that did not sund so hot on the Maggies, and the Lors did much better on these.
My only issue with the Lors is boomy bass on some tracks. This usually happens on simple tracks. On really busy tracks, the bass is greatly reduced. The woofer must get tied up making higher freq sounds. This could be solved by speaker position, room config, or upgrading the amps (I am planning on upgrading the Stereo Stratos Extreme to Mono Extremes). I also have not added the cones yet (I do, however, have little rubber feet glued to the bottom) as the speakers are on a tile floor.
I should also point out that I suffer from listening fatigue, and I have not had any issues with the Lors (or the Maggies).
I also watch a lot of HT, and with the use of a sub, the two speakers are very close to dead even. I think the Maggies might have the advantage here as they excell at 3 dimensional imaging. Note that I don't use a center channel, so I relly on the L/R speakers for handle the center channel. Both do this quite well.
Am I going to keep them? Yes, if not for the sound, for the WAF. The W really hates the Maggies, and I am tired of hearing about it (despite the fact that we agreed before the basement was finished that it would be my space to do with whatever I wanted).
BTW - The Maggies are 2.5s (true Ribbons) with Oak sides, and off white cloth. If anyone is interested in these (local pickup only), send me a PM.
