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I have a pair of Magnepan 1.7s on order. No ETA from dealer yet. When
they do get here, I've got to drive 150 or so miles to pick them up. I
know the dealer will have 1.7s and 3.7s in his demo room, and I will ask
to audition both. And I know that the 3.7s will make the 1.7s sound
inferior and I know that I will immediately have the itch for the 3.7s.
And I know that I don't have an additional $4500 laying around unused
right now. So what am I supposed to do??? Cry?? Not audition the
3.7s?? Not buy the 1.7s and let the dealer keep my deposit?? Mind you,
I'm not throwing any shade on the 1.7s. But the 3.7s are bigger and have
a true ribbon tweet. It's like the difference between a Camry and an
LS460. Once you've driven the LS460, there's no settling for anything
less. Damn! I hate Magnepan!!
Whether or not you can observe a thing depends upon the theory you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed. - Albert Einstein
Follow Ups:
What others said. The 1.7i's are great speakers, in fact TAS just gave them best bargain product of the year and said they're at the sweet point of the line.
You can always go better with anything, but ask yourself -- do you really get that much more out of it?
I should take that advice myself, LOL.
Couple things. Ask if he has any trade up policy within a certain timeframe. 2 see if he has the Maggie DWMs hanging around To audition w your 1.7s.
back in 2004 I asked my dealer to audition a (then) new set of 20.1's.He gave me a date and I showed up with my cd's. The room in question was their showcase room, a good 20'x30' with acoutic treatment all around. The equipment was all top of the line Levinson, the cables were the size of landscaping irrigation controlers, I can't remember the name of them but I do remember they were $20K a pair (in 2004 dollars).
He explained the do's and don'ts relating to a $250K-$350K system, handed me the remote, smiled and said 'enjoy'.
I had a whole hour to kill.
The moment I pressed play on the remote the room ceased in being a showroom and quickly became the holodeck on the Star ship Enterprise. You wanted the Beatles to visit you and perform? no problem; Miles? again no problem.
Never in my life did I feel I could approach a sound stage and circle each performer -presented in exact height and positioning.
When it was all over I stepped out of the show room like Charlton Heston descending from the mountain in the 10 Commandments (grey hair and all lol).
I couldn't listen to my system for over a week!
Eventually I got back to my system but it was like returning to a Mustang after driving a Ferrari all day on the Autobahn.
Edits: 12/11/21 12/11/21
I once had the opposite experience with a similar setup by wandering away from the pre-chosen source material to something that wasn't super hi rez. I just shook my head at how badly it handled a plain old redbook cd. I've also found that mid level high end systems (still a lot of money) can sound way better than the super high end with great vinyl as a source.
the cd's I brought were copies I made on my PC from CD's I check out of the library and they still blew my mind.When the dealer saw me with a bunch of CD's with the artist labled with a sharpie he kind of rolled his eyes as he left. But he and his family had the best audio establishment I've ever been to.
*Footnote to the above story: after I was done with the MG20.1 setup the dealer asked me if I wanted to hear their 'other' flagship room; I said sure (it was a slow day during the middle of the week); inside the room were Wilson Alexandria's which at the time were going for $220,000 a pair, the equipment used to push them I've since forgotten. He fired them up and although they sounded magnificent, I would have bought the other Maggie system (at least two-thirds of it) for the cost of the Wilsons. But even if both system had cost the same I would've still taken the Maggie system without hesitation!
Edits: 12/11/21
I totally get it. Every time I hear those big Wilson's and similar speakers I always think back to my old Quad ESL57s and my uncle's old 3.5Rs and it makes me realize that some people are in it for musical reproduction and reproduction of the recording space and some people are at a theme park riding a roller coaster for dynamic thrills.
Now there's a Maggie system I might have enough room and power for !Wondering if that true ribbon "magic" is truly obtainable in a small-form, nearfield setup...
Edits: 12/11/21
I have, it is.
as it has helped me shape later purchases and fine tune what I have.I find that It is only when you hear and appreciate that level of subtlety that you are able to steer your own system in the right direction. And continue to refresh your audio memory with live, unamplified musical events as a useful reference.
Edits: 12/12/21
There's always gonna be unattainable equipment out there no matter how much money you have (unless you're loaded), so you need to enjoy what you got.I read Stereophile every month and my favorite part is finding the price and thinking YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! LOL!
And I love my 2014 Mustang GT convertible. :)
Edits: 12/11/21
I'd rather listen to 1.7s in a meticulously well set up room than 3.7s in a mediocre setup.
Oh-oh - that didn't help much ?
Nevertheless, I'd put the empahasis on room and room setup anyway. Then, be happy and forget about what MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be.
the experience of hearing Harry Pearson's spectacular systems using all that "wretched excess" gear - knowing full well I would never own a half million dollar system. :)Expand your horizons and enjoy the 1.7s.
Edits: 12/12/21
The 1.7s may sound better in your rom than the 3.7s do at the dealer. I hear systems at shows that cost way more than my set up at home and when I get home I am always amazed how satisfied I am with my modest system that has been well sorted. That makes me smile.
Gsquared
Edits: 12/10/21
When you get a room and speaker "sorted" as you so aptly put it, questions about moving up a product line take on a different light.
My 12x17 room and the LRS's really work well. Motivation to move up? Pretty weak. Pretty, pretty weak.
But maybe this is more about the problem of having $4500 sitting around!
See, I don't have the issue, alas.
/ optimally proportioned triangles are our friends
I swap between LRS and old large ProAc monitors with ATC drivers. I managed to find a common position for my 15" Rythmic sub that works for each. I have to change sub settings, speaker position and the roll off of my main amp with different input filters every time I swap. "Sorted" is complicated, but the results are worth the investment.
Gsquared
Just buy the 1.7i's and be happy.
'A lie is halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on'. -Mark Twain
At least not until you've had a chance to listen to get used to the sound of the 1.7i's in your set up. From all I've read they're nothing to sneeze at in the SQ department.
Maybe look for used later production 3.6's and bi-amp them ??
Nt.
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
The older used 3 series is a a better deal than the 3.7 or 3.7i.
Lower bass and the ability to bi-amp, makes for better sound quality.
I have heard many 3.7 setups, and go away thinking, "the older 3 series is always better sound" !
If you get 3.6s made during the end of their production they have the newer glue taht does not give you problems
Or get any 3 series that have been factory rebuilt with the new adhesive. My old MG III's were rebuilt, added Mye stands, upgraded the internal crossovers, and recently added a streaming device and DAC to my system. I bought my Maggies new in around 1984 and continue to be impressed with how good they sound to my ears.
Regards,
Steve
1984 is around when I discovered Maggie's and planars in general. Many years passed before a pair (IIIA's) belonged to me however...
A friend had a pair of Tympanis in the late 70's and I got hooked on the sound.
I'd like to move to a pair of 3.6's like you have, but the roof needs fixing, the bathroom is getting a partial remodel, etc. I'm one of those people who tends to stick with what I have if I'm happy with it. With the exception of my recent foray into streaming, pretty much all of my gear was purchased more than 10 years ago.
Regards,
Steve
Most of my gear is older for sure. And we (with our plethora of cats that are also not allowed in there) have a 70's house that is a never ending project. Add 2 young girls. So new items are not frequent.
I just bought a sub a couple weeks ago. But before that was my laptop and Pre-DAC which goes back to 2012 or '13.
It's what I can afford, and enjoy it beyond. MGIII's are not far removed from later models, enjoy them!
Get the 1.7i and be happy with them. Happy with the fact that you have the opportunity to own them. I'd love 20.7's, but can't afford them, is what it is.
Don't think I've ever driven a Camry or Lexus, but again... enjoy what you have.
Edits: 12/10/21
get a used pair of 3.6s
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