Maggie 3.7 - what the Quad ESL aspires to be?
hshrader -- Sun, 08/21/2011 - 03:53
I am reading remarks from JV, HP and others on major improvements on coherence and microdynamics/efficiency with the 3.7 (from the 3.6). I also understand that for many, this has become THE speaker in the under 10K range. Given JV's positive experience with the QUAD 2905 (about 12K), I wonder if he (and others) feel that the Maggie 3.7 for all intent and purposes matches the coherence and transparency of the Quad 2805/2905 but with vastly better dynamics and punch.
If so, does this make the Quad a bit overpriced and in jeopardy of being eclipsed?
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Quads are still Quads and they still do some things better than any other speaker on the planet.
Sunday hit the nail on the head with that statement. As he usually does.
Also keep in mind that although manufactured in the far east today, the Quad is still an "English" speaker. Matching your speaker to your environment is key but with the Quad, its design flowed from its intended environment. Castles aside, English homes - houses - condos - apartments - in general, are typically smaller than those found in America. So things like limited volume output, reduced dynamic contrasts, and very low images are what you will be forced to endure. But that magic of a single source disphram is what you will treasure. That naturalness of tone and that beauty of timbre.
Back in the '90's, when the Buffalo Bills went to four Super Bowls in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew they had to design their team to stop Buffalo - and they did. It's almost as though Magnapan did the same thing with the Quads. The Maggie is louder than Quad, it has better dynamic contrasts, and it delivers amazingly lifelike imaging. And now it has a continuousness that, even with multiple drivers, approaches the level of stats in that area.
So, hshrader, determine which attributes are important to you and make an informed decison. Oh, and yes, the Maggies have ALWAYS been a bargain. When you consider how much effort is expended to create a non-intrusive yet properly braced and supportive box that good dyamic speakers require (e.g. Wilson, Rockport, Magico, Sonus Faber, etc..), there is just no way for them to compete price-wise when Maggie takes the box off of the bottom line. World class sound at $5,500. Be amazed. As for the Quad, well, maybe you're also paying for the loss in the exchange rate and shipping from the orient.
If you are looking for dynamics, don't buy Quads!
Thanks for your views. T-Bop, it sounds like your are suggesting that the Maggies are not a compromise AND a better value, ... that the single source diaphram may no longer be the defining attribute of the Quad. Prior to the 3.7, i would agree choices would need to be made. With what one reads about the 3.7, i am not sure any more. JV lived with the 2905 (or 2805?) for a while before evaluating the 3.7. I wonder his views and those of others that have had the good fortune to do extensive listening with both.