Magnepan announces the 20.7


Jacob Heilbrunn has a first look on The Absolute Sound's site.

"But here’s the skinny: no other speaker at this price will offer even remotely similar lifelike performance, and it should—no, will—scare the bejeezus out of most of its competitors. It’s no accident that Audio Research, which I also got to visit, has 3.7 loudspeakers as part of its reference system. So go ahead. Search for another loudspeaker. But I can only wish you good luck. I defy you to find one at up to five times the cost with the scale and realism of the 20.7."

http://www.avguide.com/blog/first-listen-magnepan-s-new-flagship-207-loudspeaker
josh358
Your Yukon must be alot smaller then it looks from the outside. I had no trouble putting the 3.7's in the back of my wifes' 4Runner. As for the stands, your the first person I've ever read on any forum that didn't admit that they did make an obvious improvement. There has to be a first for everything, I guess. And to the 3.7's not being very much better then the 3.6, somebody must think so becuase Magnepan can't keep up with the demand for the new 7 series. They even tell you on their website that business is very good. They can wait.
All of this is exactly why I would never buy speakers without hearing them. Clearly, people are coming to very different conclusions on the 3.7's. I've already articulated my thoughts on the 3.7's vs 3.6's etc, so I won't repeat what I've already written. As for the Mye Stands, I had a pair for my 1.6's and I have a pair for my 3.7's going through customs as I write this. The ability to tilt the speakers to achieve a perpendicular between the top to bottom middle of the tweeter with ear level makes an enormous improvement in my opinion. Others may hear things differently, and I'm not going to suggest they should hear what I hear or their conclusions are invalid. Those who are considering the 3.7's should let their ears be their guide. Too bad that is not possible with the stands. As Mrschret points out, those who prefer the Magnepan stock feet are fairly rare, but again, people hear what they hear.
Oh Yes, my Yukon is a lot smaller than it looks. Why do I have to keep explaining everything to you? First, I had to explain about why I only took six songs to the dealer and now I have to explain the length of my cargo area in my Yukon. Didn't you see where I put in LOL ? I was half joking with myself as the box slid in to the cargo area of my Yukon. I was talking about just fitting the 3.6's in the back because the length of the Magnepan box is 74" and the length of my cargo area is not much longer so I was slightly sweating bullets as the box was being pushed in by me and the sales person hoping the tailgate would close. I was only having fun with the story, but you said you put yours in your car and now your saying they went in a 4Runner. OK, car, 4Runner, whatever, but any car would be tough. OK, lets laugh about it, right? LOL. Everybody wants to get their Maggies home by themselves but not everybody has a Yukon or a 4Runner.
The Stands, Oh everybody loves those myestands. They are so popular that almost everybody who buys a floor standing maggies calls this company and orders a myestand. As of this date (Wednesday 1-25-12) there are currently 10 floor standing maggies for sale here on audiogon, most with pictures and all the listings show the speakers with the stock feet, not one maggie is standing on a myestand.
When we got ours we tried and we tried. We even invited friends over to help. Our maggies with their stock stands and then on the myestands, back and forth, and back and forth. On and off, off and on. Four times with and four times without. A total of nine people heard no discernible difference to justify to keep the myestnnds for their high price, so back they went. I thanked my two friends and four of my son's friends for all their help and time. I'm not busting anyone's chops here. If you like your myestands and you think it's worth blowing that kind of money on them, then all the power to you. For crying out loud, even our dealer at the time said it was not necessary and the the maggies sound fine as they are. We agree, and saved some money.
After all, right now, there are ten sellers listing theirs with the stock stands. I can't wait to see the response to this letter as I know you won't rest until you have the last word. And yes, one is going to hear what one hears, but in this case, OH, I forgot to say in this very very rare case nine people, only nine, not 3, not 5, not 7, but 9 people for a total of two weeks heard no big difference. Please remember, this is just my opinion. I'm not saying that your myestand made no difference in your system, I'm just saying for my system the myestand was useless.
Come on, come on, hurry up and write me a nasty letter in response to mine. I mean, I know you have to have the last word and you have to write to tell me how wrong I am. maybe you could even criticize my friends? While your at it, why not mock my yukon about how big it is or how small it is. Let's get this battle going. This is going to be great LOL LOL.
Exron,
I'm guessing Mrschret will be able to find at least 11 people who swear by the Mye Stands. What is the point? I have no problem with you not liking them. I have no problem with someone insisting they are the greatest things ever. There is a reason that we have an abundance of high end manufacturers of equipment making everything from flea watt SET's to kilowatt SS monsters. It is because we value different things. Its not because I'm right and you are wrong. What can be very right for me can be very wrong for you. It happens all the time. Some people like BMW's, some people like Audi's. So what? Chill everybody, this is supposed to be fun. I don't need anyone else validating my decisions about buying equipment. My own ears tell me yes or no, but they can't tell you what you are going to like or dislike.
But it was interesting to read about the only contrary opinion to Myestands that I've seen.
I ordered and read a complete book about how to evaluate and purchase good stereo. One of the comments was that dimmable bulbs will ruin your sound. So I turned them off and listened and listened. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

I think if I did a test and said
"listen to that music"
and then
"I've turned those lights out - now listen to the music"

My goodness - next thing you know someone will want me to waste a ton of money on power conditioners.

So it's great to read a carefully considered and informed contrary opinion.
Exactly Nottop.
I really value the opinions expressed in the forum. They are an extremely important contributor to my decision about what to audition and occasionally what to buy if an audition is not possible. I have found much better guidance here than in TAS or stereophile. Ideas expressed here have prompted me to do some things and try some things that seemed implausible at first, but proved to be true in practice. But the final judge on everything is my own ears.

What concerns me a little is when our own strongly held opinions are presented as absolutes, and differing opinions are discredited.
could somebody describe or try to describe which changes the myestands produce in the sound ?

thank you
Clavil,
For me the significant improvement came when I angled my 1.6's forward to achieve a perpendicular between the top to bottom middle of the speaker with my ear. This produced a really significant increase in clarity and focus. The sound was just less smeared, if that makes sense. The idea I guess is that this angle provides the best time alignment. I got the stands for my 1.6's used for $200, and it was a no brainer that it was well worth the cost. I liked what they did enough that I didn't think twice about ordering a new pair at $605 for my 3.7R's. Now, I suppose one could tilt the speakers without the Mye stands, but they would not be stable at the angle required for me, and I am a tall person.
Hey Exron...take a pill. First, I could care less about your Yukon. Second, I never said everyone has Myestands. What I said was that you were the first I'd ever read to not like what they did. As to those that are for sale, your wrong. There's a pair of 1.6's that are selling and the stands are not included. Might that be because he's buying 1.7's and the stands will fit those? That might be why many of them are being sold with stock stands. Because they're moving up and the myestands will still fit. And of course your dealer is going to tell you they don't help. That's like admitting their product has a flaw that can only be fixed if you buy an aftermarket product. Unless your my dealer who admitted right up front that he knows the stands make a big difference. And when I almost bought the 20'1's he did say that he couldn't give me anything for my 3.6 stands cause they won't sell them in the store. I'm not going to say anything about your friends. I'm sure they're all very nice folks, like yourself. I will suggest though that they all get their ears checked. Oh, and don't be too concerned about my blowing all that money on the stands. I can afford it. Oh, almost forgot....LOL
LOLLOLLOL Hey Mrschret, you sound like a 13 year old boy. Your moaning, groaning, and crying over my last post. Oh poor man, you just can't take it. I set up a trap and you fell right in it,LOL. Do you know why I set the trap? I set it to see if you have maturity. Your whole post just reeks of immaturity all over a stupid pair of speaker stands. My God man, do you own stock in the company or what? Now here's where the immaturity really shines when you suggest that our friends have a disability. OMG, how lame can you get. For you to even suggest something like that is absolutely incredible.
Read what you wrote. You start off by saying your not going to say anything about our friends and then you do say something which is so immature it's pitiful . You don't see me saying anything about you or your family do you? do you know why? because I know better, I wouldn't go in that direction. Just because you like the stands and I don't doesn't mean I'm right and your wrong, it just means you like them and I don't, and to suggest that I am concerned about you wasting money is crazy. Why would i care? and why would I care if you can afford them? Do you think I don't want the stands because I can't afford them? LOL LOL LOL
I don't care if you want to put your maggies on mye stands, her stands, or his stands, there is nothing wrong with doing that if you truly believe it does absolute wonders for the sound and at the same time puts the speakers on a pedestal. I tried it and found it not very interesting for me. So, here I am now saying there's nothing wrong with anybody putting their speakers on a stand but because I don't care to do it Mrschret this will just eat you up and turn you into all different colors all over a stupid pair of speaker stands. Hurry up Mrschret and write back, the suspense of what your going to say is killing me. I just want you to know something, if your maturity kicks and you either write a nice letter or you don't write at all I will lose $50.00 on a bet. So please write back so I can win as this is some of the best fun I'm ever having since I joined this wonderful site of Audiogon. Keep it coming Mrschret I could use a fifty. LOL LOL LOL.
Notice, I didn't forget to laugh, I am laughing so hard my stomach is killing me. And now for a real shocker, just to be a real gentleman about the whole thing, I wish the very best to you Mrschret, your family, and your stereo system but why it seems to frost you just because I don't care for the stands is just plain silly.
by Exron
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.
without getting into controversial territory, it is clear that Maggies are a DIY dream come true.
Stands? have fans Crossover mods? for sure Bi/Triamp setups? absolutely Active vs Passive crossover? yes Full wood reframe? on the table Sound damping? You should see the posts!

So, the Mye stands are just the tip of the 'berg. The overwhelming opinion is that panels, which are built to price constraints, benefit from any number of DIY projects. All have fans.

Not that is matters, but even if they DO help, I'm not a fan of bridgework stands. Too much metal, which rings. I'll go with a full reframe, when the time and finances permit. A good, solid, Mahogany should work wonders and have many advantages over the MDF which is stock.
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.
Josh is well aware of the 'third rail' nature of talking about panel vibrations and the various theories.

Magnepan vibration theories abound. Wood perhaps absorbs vibration which may 'reflect' back from the MDF and cause problems. That's why I'm not a big metal fan, too, since metal will reflect vibes.
At least Aluminum doesn't ring like Steel. And most of what I don't like about Aluminum wouldn't matter using it in panel construction, anyway. Lack of fatigue strength and poor tensile strength, for example. Don't bother telling me about special Aluminum alloys. I suspect Magico uses a 6000 series since it is easy to work.

I'll bet Corian would give your budget a hernia.
I have listened to Maggies going back to the 80's and as recent as a few months ago (with top of the line ARC gear). I appreciate their speed and their light airy soundstage. Their sound is similar to the Quad ESL's to me with the Quad's being just bit more magical. Still, I come home and hear my system and find it more satisfying. Maybe not quite as fast, but there is more meat to the sound, more heft. The Maggies soundstage is impressive, but always seems semi-transparent whereas my home system makes the soundstage more solid feeling. I like them, but just never enough to put out the cash to own them. The Maggies do a couple of things exceptionally well, but I would not say that they are the best speakers ever- even at their price point. To each his own.
I am waiting for the 20.7s to arrive at the local dealership so as of yet I have not heard them. I am auditioning the 3.7 in a couple weeks tough.

Always loved Maggie's but before spending 14k or so, I wanted to listen to some non-panel speakers. Yesterday got to hear the Wilson Sophia 3 and Saaha as well as Avalon Indra and Isis .

I soon discovered how so much of this "hobby" we love is all about what we value both sonically and financially.

The only speaker of the 4 I listened to that blew me away was the Isis which is 78k full price, although had floor models for 50.

The Wilson's in general were not my cup of tea, so having said that the 28k Sasha's seems like it is over priced BECAUSE OF MY LISTENING PREFERENCES. My bottom line is "can I or how much does it allow me to enjoy the music" and obviously I like the huge Maggie sound stage, which differs some imaging, which the Wilson's did very very well.

The Avalon sounded more musical to me but the smaller Indra did not have quite the "weight" I would want.

Where. I am going with this is that 28k is over priced if you don't have the sound, one may call 78 or 59 k over priced versus a 14k Maggie or whatever even if the sound of the more expensive speaker sounds better in some ways but at 3-5times the cost

Now having said all that, for my listening pleasure I think/expect the 20.7s to be quite a bargain and the 3.7s an out right steal
Nice comments and I agree with you - though the choice is a matter of opinion. My cousin has B&W 800 D's and the sound from his system is WONDERFUL.
It's just not a sound I would choose.
And he would not choose my sound.
I think I purchased the first set of Magneplanars sold in Illinois (this was a while ago). And they still sound terrific (in the home of my son.)
The next to last Maggies I bought was the 2.0 series and they still sound terrific in the home of my other son.
When I get the 20.7's my 3.5's will go to one son and there will be a drift in speakers until my older Maggies end up in the home of a granchild.
I guess if you have a large enough family you never trade in your Maggies.
Nottop,
My original MGIIBs went to my dad and he still has MMGs in his condo. We do not have children so my dad always benefits from my upgrades. Nice keeping the Maggies in the family isn't it. :-)