New Magnepan 3.7 i ?

Don, I have been thinking the same thing. I do wish they would release more information about this update to the 3.7. It all seems a bit out of character for Magnepan.

I'd be interested in anything that might improve the 3.7s, but frankly, I have mixed emotions about this. When I bought my 3.7s, I thought about waiting for an update to the 20.1s, but Magnepan did nothing to indicate that a 20.7 might be in the works. The 20.1s are proving hard to beat, they said. Now, about 3 years in on the 3.7s, we are getting an update, and we are going to have to pay shipping both ways plus the cost of the work and endure the downtime.

A little more transparency with their existing and future customer base would be appreciated.

Elizabeth, Magnepan knew full well they would be launching the 20.7's when I bought the 3.7's. They were released within a year of my purchase. Rather than be forthcoming when asked, they got cute and played coy. I'm not taking a loss on the 3.7s and paying 14K for 20.7s. If they had just said "I can't comment on that" I would have understood. I took what they said to mean not anytime soon and maybe not ever. That is what I mean by transparency.

Please, Elizabeth! I'm not an idiot and I'm not unreasonable.

Look folks, I'm not upset because Magnepan is trying to make improvements on the 3.7. Was that not clear from my last post? I asked a question. They could have just said no comment. Instead they issued a misleading answer. That is the heart of the matter. Had I not been mislead, I would have waited on the 20.7's. I'm on my 3rd pair of Magnepan speakers. I don't believe that misleading loyal customers is a necessary part of business, when a refusal to answer would have worked just fine. Its not like I am furious with Magnepan, and its not like I would never buy another pair. I simply stated I would appreciate a bit more transparency. Sorry if my statement offended you.

Josh, Thanks for the information. I understand the dilemma a company like Magnepan faces with impending upgrades in terms of what they say and when they say it. The other side of the coin is the dilemma faced by potential customers considering purchase of a model that may very soon be devalued in the used marketplace by a company poised to release a new model.
I was in an awkward position. I wasn't going to buy 20.1's, for fear they would soon be replaced with a new model, meaning the market value would drop rather quickly. I decided not to wait for something that might not materialize for several years if ever. So, I pulled the trigger on the 3.7s.
It seemed improbable to me that they could go from a state of unclear improvement to models on the floor in less than a year. Perhaps I was in error. As it is, I find myself in the situation perhaps worse than the one I wanted to avoid. I have 3.7s instead of 20.7's, and will need to pony up some more to take the 3.7s to 3.7i s.
So-- if you are about to buy 1.7s or 20.7s, what do you do? You might want to wait for the upgrade that might or might not come. Magnepan may wish to consider carefully their communications regarding those inevitable questions.

Josh, thanks. You are correct. Someone is always going to buy immediately prior to model change. It's just that that person is not me. Perhaps I obsess too much about strategic and tactical acumen. I don't misread clues very often. But at the end of the day I have speakers with which I am completely happy- they fit my taste, my system and my room very well. But the reality is that I was in the process of assembling a system to take me into retirement. Having now completed that system, ithe window for big spends has passed, so I won't be bringing the 20.7s in. From that perspective, my decision to buy the 3.7s became a loose/loose.

As I said earlier, its not like I am mad at Magnepan. I think some people over reacted to my statement that I would appreciate more transparency. I didm't say I expected or demanded it. I felt like Magnepan was being unnecessarily coy, but I could certainly be all wrong about that. My skepticism regarding design impasse to product launch in under a year is perhaps colored by the industry in which I work, where 8-10 year development cycles are normal.

Trust is more a matter of being predictable than anything else. I thought I knew Magnepan's MO. I got it wrong with respect to reading what was going on.

It is my understanding that part of the change from the .6 to .7 series was increasing the tension. Now they have decided to decrease the tension? If this is true, it makes you wonder what is going on up there.

I'd probably go for a cross over upgrade, but I won't be sending them back for this for another year or two until I see how this change is received by others.

Moonglum, Thanks for the information. One question, did you audition the 3.7s's in the same room with the same ancillaries?

I was careful and deliberate in auditioning speakers over a long period of time, beginning before the release of the 3.7s. In that time, I auditioned a large number of speakers below 20K, and only the Maggies and wilson Sophia IIIs were serious candidates. If the 3.7i modifications further improve them, that will be a good thing for everyone.

As for me, I'm still in a holding pattern due to a pending move. Until I see what our new place is going to be like, I won't know if I will be able to continue to use the 3.7s. That waiting period should allow more comments like yours to come in, hopefully from 3.7 owners who have taken the plunge.