[Sarchi]

Maggies were my first introduction to high-end audio, when my dad bought the MG1-Improved (I think), way back in 1977.  I was 12 and was smitten.  Much later I had a pair of SMGc's, for a while.  The other panels I had were the Soundlab Quantum (hybrid 'stats).  I've been mainly on the SET/horns path the last ten years or so, but I've kept a soft spot for Magnepans. 

I've always been curious about the bigger panels, so I grabbed the chance and picked up a nice local pair of 3.3's a couple of weeks ago for a good price.  Well I'm not disappointed, they sound excellent!  I'm running them with a Rotel RB-991, which looked like an affordable choice and "able to deliver" the current.  In some ways this is already the best system I've had.  Orchestral music never sounded so good.  Not just the scale, but very good tonally as well.  Jazz sounds live, and full.  It doesn't seem like I even need a sub, for the music I like.  These speakers move a lot of air, they can really energize a room.  Actually they don't sound too bad at low volume either.

As far as I know these Maggies are stock.  One ribbon was replaced, and then they were in their box for the last 7-8 years.  They do both have a bit of cat claw damage on the front, but I've seen worse.  Anyhow, any advice is welcome.  I'll try to post some pics.

[Sarchi]

The room is around 16' x 21' (ceiling is 8').  Right now the speakers are 3' out from the front wall, toed in slightly, tweeters outboard.  Listening position is about 12' from the speakers.

[pelliott321]

look great.
for critical listening you may want to move them out more.  depending how far back your listening spot is the reflective wave off the back wall could be hitting you too early and confusing the image.  Their condition depends on the environment they were stored in, and being boxed up is not the best.  Could have trapped moisture. Go over to AudioAsylum to the Planer thread and do some searching and reading.  I learned a lot over there and they were a big help to me when I rewired and rebuilt my IIIa's

 

[SteveFord]

Sarchi,
Congratulations, those look like they're in beautiful condition and look great in that color combination.
Like Mr. Elliott said, pull them out a bit further into the room if you can.
What's that you've got on the table in the middle?

[Rclark]

 Niiiice 

[Sarchi]

Thanks for the comments.

Steve, the 'table is a Lenco L75 with a Scheu 12" arm temporarily mounted on its' own pod arrangement.  Phono stage is the Jasmine LP2.0, and my "new" linestage (arrived today) is a Tube Technology 'Seer'.  Here's a better pic of the Lenco.

[SteveFord]

Oh, I was hoping it was a chocolate layer cake.  It's getting close to dinner time, ya know.

I'll bet your speakers sound good judging by this one blurb on your tonearm from a 6 Moons review:

I don’t know how it was achieved but the Scheu Analog turned out to perform with such a classy refined sound as though it were the absolute epitome and pinnacle of precision engineering and advanced material technology.

I really like that record clamp, too - that's a nice touch.
That headstock looks like a Guild?

[Sarchi]

The clamp is really a weight, it's being made by one of the members of the Lenco Heaven forum.  The base is slate and he makes the top piece from your choice of wood.  It's pretty much a "universal" piece that can work with any 'table, but it adds a couple pounds of mass so it's only recommended for something with a big torquey motor.

The guitar is an old Takamine that belongs to my sister.  I'm trying to get my kids to play it.

[medium jim]

I agree about moving them in the room and off the walls.  Another thing to try is positioning the ribbons on the inside as this really makes a nice difference in the depth of the soundstage.

Jim

[kevin360]

Sarchi – Congrats on the nice score! Those look great – a really nice color combo.  I agree with the others about moving them out if you can – and then nudge them about a little (and take notes). Getting them planted right is a pain to do by ear – which is how I did it. I made a bit of a game of it. As I think it's as much about geometrical relationships as raw distance off the front wall, I imagine your 'magic' numbers differ from  mine. Don't be afraid to experiment with the placement – just because it sounds great doesn't mean it might not sound better with modified placement. I started with my tweeter out, but later found they imaged better toward the middle of the room - (in my setup).

I thought I had it nailed twice before I finally stopped searching. I stopped searching because I ran out of wiggle room. Here I am giving advice and my own Maggies might not be in their best spots. It's wonderful to see equipment like that find a good home – those speakers have so much more listening pleasure to provide. Enjoy.

---

pelliot – I remember that picture well. You did a fantastic job on your frames. I've actually wondered for a while if your ceiling is as low as it appears in that photo. That could be a really good thing. I also think the valve amp in the fireplace is a hoot – looks nice too.

[Sarchi]

As an update, after a few weeks I sold the Rotel and bought an Adcom 555-II.  A nice improvement overall - I would say mostly subtle differences, except in the lower registers.  The deep bass response with the Adcom is absolutely stunning!

I also brought the Maggies out another 8 inches or so.  I have the tweeters in the middle now, but to be honest, I'm not sure if this helps or hurts.  I need to go back to the recommended setup and compare it again.

I'm extremely happy with the 3.3R's.  As an aside, I picked up the recent John Zorn release, Mount Analogue.  Highly recommended, if you aren't afraid to try new things.

[grantv]

As an addition to playing with location... if you find a spot you like but want to try more, stick some masking tape on the ground where they are. Just in case where you go isn't as good as where you came from.

[medium jim]

As an addition to playing with location... if you find a spot you like but want to try more, stick some masking tape on the ground where they are. Just in case where you go isn't as good as where you came from.

Grant:

Boy do I agree with that...an inch off can be a big thing with maggies.  This inch isn't so much in the placement, rather in the toe-in and how reflective or dead the room is.

Sarchi:

While maggies sound good even when not in their feng shui spots, they come alive when they are.  As Kevin noted, they can have more than one optimal spot.  I guess running the ribbons in the center/middle is a personal preference, but in a room you size it should result in a bigger soundstage. 

Jim