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In Reply to: RE: Replace 3.7i's with 20.7's? posted by tedtag on September 26, 2016 at 04:23:11
I say go for it, I think that sized room would be great for your tubes provided you bi-amp; the question then becomes do you get a set of 20.1s which will allow you to do this or 20.7s that, in stock form cannot.The difference in price from a 20.1 vs 20.7 in today's market is roughly around 7 grand; 10 grand on a good day.
Not only would this allow you the pleasure of bi-amping your tube amps, you could even grab a decent pair of SS monoblocks to roll into the bottom bass panels for even greater flexibility on rainy days (for me, my 20s tend to really 'wake up' around 5th gear in this regard).
Or, as some have said previously, you could have the 20.7s doctored into a bi-ampable-capable beast of a machine. Such an endeavor wouldn't necessarily be 'cheap' per say; and the after market value (provided the XO reassignment is performed adequately) would most likely lean in your favor.
Obviously if they didn't work out in your room this would all be for naught anyway.
At least with 20.1s you'd essentially leave the same way you came in.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Edits: 09/28/16 09/28/16 09/28/16 09/28/16 09/28/16 09/28/16 09/28/16Follow Ups:
"...and the after market value (provided the XO reassignment is performed adequately) would most likely lean in your favor."
Not I, who wouldn't even consider buying such a modified speaker. Whenever I heard something which didn't sound just 'right', which in any event is bound to happen, I'd end up being in doubt if it was a consequence of the work done on it, or if it's the way the recording should sound when listening to the manufacturer's designed product.
I'm sort of scared of modifying speakers and wish the 20.7's came from the factory already configured to be biamped. If that was the case I could do all sorts of combinations with the 4 pair of mono blocks I've got in inventory right now: the JL7's, the Premier 8's, the Carvers, and a brand new pair of Nuprime R20s'. I forgot to mention the R20's but those things are 400w into 4 ohms Class D and sound crazy good with the 3.7's. In fact they all sound good but the JL7's really are "stupendous" with the Maggies, to borrow a word from Norman's previous post! Of course I could try the 20'7s with the JL7's and if they were a little short on power, sell some stuff and buy a pair of CAT Statements. I can only imagine what the 20'7's would sound like with a pair of the Statements and almost unlimited triode power. (Sorry, I need to stop here and wipe the drool from my chin). Any thoughts about that combination?
Edits: 09/29/16
The Statements are rated 150WPC but 16 kt120s should giver you 450WPC triode given a big enough trannie. The expense is not commensurate with the improvement available from biamping. So looking at the 20.1 as the base case, you can probably get a 20.1 and biamp it with your existing amplifiers - any would do as the subs take off the deep bass, and if you need extra boom power because you want to take out your subs then you can get a KW SS power amp to do the high current heavy lifting. The 20.1 is an over all improvement on the 3.7 in the same way that the 20.7 is. Relative to the 20.7 you are missing the low order series crossover and the better integration/coherence.
But to retain that in single amp mode will cost you much more in amplification than the speaker itself. Then you would lose on trading the speakers if you modify them for biamping. So the cost differential in doing the 20.7 single amp vs. 20.1 is probably in excess of $20k. In trading the 3.7 for a 20.1 you might end up with nearly no cost but for the active crossover - I suggest a First Watt B4 and later have it modified with better parts and a bigger power supply if you think it would be your weakest link..
The First Watt B4 x/o is on sale for $995 from Reno Hi-Fi right now.
Thanks BDP24! Also, I found a pair of 20.1's on Audiogon for $7500; 1 owner, bought new in 2001, says 8/10 condition i.e. near perfect with a couple of scratches on the wood bracing that could be buffed or touched up. Any thoughts?
Too old to justify the price unless you can inspect it yourself. You have a higher risk of delamination since that is before the introduction of the new glue, which was 2007 or 2008. The condition and the storage history of the speaker is the main determinant of its value, delam risk rises with a history of exposure to sunlight and moisture. You need to ferret that out before making an offer.
Magnepan can replace broken drivers at some cost - the upside being that you have a new speaker with no known expiration date. So you need to keep that in mind when determining the right price to pay.
I'll keep looking. Good advise. These were in California and I'm in Georgia. Thanks Satie.
Spence
Thanks Satie. Sounds like a good idea to see what's available in 20.1's. If they don't work in the room, I could sell them for a minimal loss and if they do I'd have plenty of options to biamp. I'd probably keep my 3.7i's anyway as a back up plus I'm going to have a second room for another system in a few months and I've got plenty of great electronics already. I'll let you know and may need some more advise depending on how things go. Appreciate everyone's great input and tremendous knowledge!
Edits: 09/29/16
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