"Are they (magnepan) simply going to 'skip' 20.2->.6?"
Either that, or they have a lot of failed models littering the workshop floor. :-) |
You're right, latest word is that they have both the series crossover and a quasi-ribbon bass panel. |
The 20.1 is no more inefficient than the 3.6, so I wouldn't worry about amplification. If people put bigger amps on it it's likely because it *can* play louder, not because it needs them to produce the same SPL as the 3.6. Also, as someone pointed out in another thread, the 20.x's are only 5" wider than the 3.x's, there's more of a difference in height. |
Stringreen, just to clarify, that "gushing" was a quote from Jacob Helibrunn's review. Since I haven't heard the 20.7, I can't say anything about its sound! |
Elizabeth, if I can fit Tympanis, you can fit 20.7's! In fact, I doubt you'd even score a diagnosis of "insane," once the doctors got a look at my place . . . |
Word is you can't bi-amp them, they use a series crossover like the other .7's. |
There's an awful lot of gushing in speaker reviews! Part of that I think is just that there are lot of good speakers out there these days. Part of it is that some reviewers have tin ears. :-) But that of course is just my personal explanation of why some people have the temerity to disagree with me.
Anyway, since no speaker is perfect and they all have different strengths and weaknesses, it seems to me that the only way you can make this decision is by listening yourself. Clearly, the .7 Maggie are highly regarded by the critics, as well as the people who have bought them. And it seems that the Tannoy is highly regarded as well. For the kind of money we're talking about, I'd go out of my way to hear them both (the Tannoy and the 20.7, I mean, since you have the budget).
I've seen so many debates with people who insist that the speakers they own are great and everything else sucks -- while some speakers are obviously better than others, there really is a lot of personal taste involved in the choice as well. |
Always a risk when you buy anything! Amazon, for example, inevitably releases a new Kindle a month after I buy one. Some tech companies, e.g., Intel, price new stuff at a premium to milk the early adopters. They also cripple microprocessors to force them to run at lower speeds so they can charge huge premiums for the uncrippled ones.
Personally, I prefer a pricing model that's straightforward and fair. I think it's also important to remember that the difference between loudspeaker generations isn't huge. Some people describe the difference as subtle, some don't, but it isn't as if new models are so improved that you can't continue enjoying last year's model because something new is out. Some of the best audio advice came from a friend who advised saving money by buying "last year's state-of-the-art." Guess I've taken that to extremes, because my "new" Tympani IVa's are something like 25 years old! |
They could probably increase bass extension -- the Apogees, for example, had more extended bass than Magnepan speakers of the same size. But AFAIK, doing so would mean increasing plate separation and magnet strength so the fundamental resonance could be moved lower without diminishing efficiency, and that would increase the cost of the speakers. I assume that they've decided that the cutoff frequencies they use, and the tradeoff between baffle size and plate separation + field strength, offer the best bang for the buck. |
For those who have been asking, it seems that the 20.7's are now available for sale, and the price has been announced:
Members of the Press,
We apologize to our loyal customer base, but we had no choice.
With the 20.7, we had to raise the price more than we would have liked.
The 20.7 MSRP is $13,850 pair. That is an increase of $855 from the 20.1. But, we think the improvement in sound will mitigate any resentment of this regrettable price increase. |
I've heard excellent things about the W4S amp with the Maggies. Caveat being that I haven't heard the combo myself. Not sure about the pre. |
The 3.7 already has a quasi ribbon woofer, they changed both the woofer and the midrange. The 20.1 already had a quasi-ribbon midrange, the 20.7 apparently has a quasi-ribbon woofer as well.
Re 3.6 vs. 3.7, I think that's something people have to decide for themselves. Some have raved about the difference. Others perceive it as incremental. I don't know that there's any way to make the decision for people, it's something people have to decide for themselves. |
Clavil,
The changes typically attributed to Mye stands include better bass with increased extension (this has been measured, not huge but clearly measurable) and greater midrange clarity/imaging. |
I think you can pour sand into the Mye stands, I imagine that would do a good job of getting rid of any ringing.
It's worth noting too that both YG and Magico use aluminum enclosures. Apparently, it's easier to control the ringing than it is to damp wood. (Of course, enclosures are more demanding of the material than frames.) Jim Winey is on record as having said that metal frames would be better for Maggies, though I don't think they're a practical DIY project for most of us.
Another possibility is Corian, some dipole manufacturers say it makes a better baffle than wood and MDF. |
Part of the problem I think is that "incremental" is a relative term. What's huge to one person is small to another. But I'd say in the case of the 3.7's, the typical reaction seems to be more in keeping with yours -- the improvement is more than incremental. But I've heard someone else say as Doug did that he thought it was in incremental change.
One thing that's true, the .7's have major changes -- quasi-ribbon rather than wires, single-pole crossovers, improved power response, better midbass. So technically, there's a much bigger difference between a 3.7 and a 3.6 than a 3.6 and a 3.5. Magnepan has made it clear that they weren't going for an incremental improvement on the 20.7 -- Wendell Diller was quoted as saying they wouldn't release it until they could make a significant improvement.
But even if the difference is bigger than it is for the typical new model, there's still going to be an element of subjectivity in the description. It's entirely possible that two people will hear the same exact sonic changes, and one person will say "nice but incremental," while another will say it's the best new thing since sliced bread.
Ultimately, I think the only thing we can do is listen ourselves, as you did. |
