Can Magnepan survive Wendell Diller?


I bought my first set of Magnepans in 1976, and I currently have a pair of 1.7i's.

It is difficult for me to upgrade to the 3.7i's because their are so many things that the company can do to improve their product that they simply won't offer; upgraded crossover components, a solid wood/rigid frames and better stands are examples.

Other companies are now doing this, but Magnepan always says Wendell doesn't think that is a good idea.

Can a man who suggests using lamp cord for his speaker line really have that much control over an otherwise unique technological approach to speaker design? I must be missing something obvious when a product is hand assembled in MN and any of these upgrades would, in my mind, warrant factory upgrades. Who wouldn't spend an extra $1k for a 1.7i with a hardwood frame and an upgraded x-over? Adding a ribbon tweeter to the 1.7i would warrant an additional $1k, still bringing them in $2k under the 3.7i.

Is it common for one person to hold an entire company back in high end audio? 
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Showing 9 responses by russ69

The Quasi ribbon tweeter is just OK and it holds the whole speaker back from what it could be.  
"... What I would wish for is a "2.7" with additional width for a ribbon tweeter..."

I was just going to post this. They would not be perfect (nor are the 3.7s) but they would be damn good enough with the right setup.  
I get it. I have talked to Wendell and I was fully blown off. However they have been in business a long time and they do offer a good product for the price so it's hard to argue with that.


How did Wendell blow me off? My six-pac amps didn't play well with my MMGs. I had a buzz at one frequency but it wasn't a panel buzz, it was an amp/loudspeaker interaction that occurred right at the crossover point. He blew me off and said that's just that crossover BS talk (I never heard or read any of that). I used 3 different amps but only the six-pacs had the issue. No issue for me really I put them on another amp, problem solved but Wendell had no interest in my problem. 
The best upgrade path for Magnepan owners is to move up the product line. The 20.7 has satisfied many and the 30.7 takes it to another level.
"...By the way, the lowest button on my left panel is 4” lower than it’s twin. Why do you think that is?..."

We don't really know why that is but the "buttons" are to control membrane vibrations/resonances we think. The mylar might have uneven tension and Magnepan might have a way to measure or find the areas and apply a button to control it. 
"...As an aside, all ribbon tweeters have a Mylar plastic backing, to one extent or another, a solid metal aluminum ribbon would immediately deform upon flexation, because Aluminium has no stretch in it’s pure metal form; once stretched, it will never return to it’s past dimensions..."

True ribbons are solid metal and not on a substrate. And that makes them a little fragile. 
"...I doubt lows sens ever makes a come back..."

It never went away. Big panels take big power. 
"...Magnepan became successful because it was based on a patented design..."

A patent means nothing if the product doesn't sell. Magnepan became successful because the Tympany was a very good sounding loudspeaker. 

and an ok tweeter

The Magnepan true ribbon tweeter is my favorite tweeter and not many can keep up with it.