|
I see they're going for $1K on USAM, for me the question then becomes do I buy these or a Maggie comparable ie a 3.3, 1.6, LRS, etc. Having owned Apogee Duetta sigs (twice) and Maggies ranging from LRS up to MG20's, I would give the Stages a shot- only if I could audition them because as Grant mentioned repairs could be an issue. My first set of Duettas were purchased because they became available locally and I'd always read great things about them so after hearing (the owner also had Scintilla 1 ohm's) them I grabbed em' for $2200. At the time I was working overseas in Dubai so I had them stored at my gf's apt closet. Two years later I moved them and my now fiance' into my new house where I had them hooked up to a Krell amp. The sound was clear and concise. It wasn't really fair comparing them to the Maggie 1.6's I'd previously owned (and sold). The duetta's were on an entirely different level. This was around 2008'ish, the economy was in turmoil and a lot of folks had to make ends meet so a lot of gear was on the market (ditto for houses). Enter the Maggie MG20's, a gentleman in L.A. (about 90 min from me) listed his for sale for citing pending divorce. I contacted him and we spoke on the phone (I'm still overseas) for about a hour stating they were in excellent condition and he'd 'guarantee' them. After apprehension and not feeling good about buying them sight unseen (other than pics) he gave me an offer I couldn't refuse: $2400 including delivery and setup. That weekend he delivered them and placed them in my garage, my son helping. So here I was with two incredible panels, the Sigs and now the 20's. It was a pair of MG20.1's that floored me at the dealer's show room and got me on the path of planars, leaving that day with a pair of MG1.6's knowing I'd 'never' be able to afford the 20.1's. So now the 20's owned first chair in my system and held that position for years, not necessarily because they 'sounded better', they absolutely dominated the room with glorious sound. There came a time when I figured the duetta's weren't going back in so I sold them. Maggies are the best at what they do-provided you feed them the best puppy chow you can provide them. Several years later it got to the point where I had a LOT of gear in the room and began missing the sound of the Duetta sigs. A few years later another pair of Duetta's became available locally. I grabbed them having miss the 'crystal clear' highs and spooky female vocals. Not taking anything away from the MG20's, they do highs with the best of them but if I had to assign a Maggie downfall it would be the sometime 'veiling' and 'superhead' presentation occasionally brought on. Granted these are engineering aspects and Maggies are just pronouncing them but stil... Anyway so I stripped the room of all the gizmos and gear and connected the Duettas with a pair of Emotiva XPA1's on the premise of a A-B comparison. Long story short- the Duettas stayed in the original setup for the next 2 years, each new CD sounding better than the last. Granted they could not reproduce the full blown 'bloom' the MG20's create but they created the best 'coffee house' setup I've ever heard. Having said all that (way more than I thought I'd type lol) I'd say give the Stages a shot -provided they play well. The fact all (original) Apogees come with caveats, it actually gives the buyer some lead way in negotiating price, ie if a seller is asking $1K I'd offer $850. This was how I was able to negotiate my MG20's, I watched them for a while knowing no one wants to ship them. This is presuming they 'have' to get rid of them vs wanting to get rid of them. bottom line: Apogee pros: crystal clear highs, greater efficiency (imo!), value for the money (used market only) great coherency, world class sound that can give current high speakers a run for their money
cons: most on the used market have low end compromise ie buzzing inherent from aging, repairing can be costly on the open market and difficult in the DIY realm. Maggies: pros- highly praised across the board, tons on the market, world class sound, great community support,
cons: (again IMO) hard to please unless fed good gear beginning with amplification although I had MANY great years with a pair of Emotiva XPA1's, beating a Krell KRS I once owned. Veiling sometimes encountered (well at least on the older copper wire drivers in my experience, not sure regarding the newer foil drivers). But if I had $1K and the choice between a 'good condition' (thats important) Apogee stages vs a LRS I'd get the stages w/o hesitation (and yes I owned LRS's in the past.
Good luck in whatever choice(s) you make!
|
