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? 
128x128william53b
It's something I'm thinking about now that I'm retired. But do I want the headaches of running a company again? No, I don't think so. And I don't view myself as an audiophile as much as someone who loves music and wants the best reproduction I can afford, and you need the personality of a sales person to successfully run a consumer product company. ps audio and Zu have that in their owners. 

Since I already have accepted the size tax on buying the current ones I have, it just makes me wonder why they don't go the extra mile by letting the customers decide how much better their sound should be for the package they buy, and by extension, how much they would pay for for the deluxe model.

I used to do product design and development, you would always logically extend something to the nth degree when you have a unique product. I just read something about the Maggie 30.7 for condos, and that isn’t a bad idea. But why reinvent the wheel when you could improve the sound of the existing product by 15-20%? Marketing should never wag the dog, but it often does; Klipsh is an excellent example of not installing great components so that you can upgrade the line in 2-3 years, based on marketing considerations thinking. Why not just put in the best components and let the market chase you while you look at advances in technologies and materials to refine your design based on research? 
If Maggie’s came in a box, I wouldn't even have bothered posting this, cause it's just another manufacturer implementing their design philosophy on that medium, but Maggie’s are different, and that is something that should be capitalized on, IMHO.
But you know it would be a whole lot easier if they would just finish what they started. No spending my retirement savings on my part, and a lot of happier Maggie owners on their part. 
I wish  Musk would take on audio, he is not afraid of upsetting the market by innovation.

And If I get a windfall of money maybe then I'll ask Mark if he want's to sell. 😉


Having own numerous monkey coffins (box speakers) my first foray into OB was with Accoustat 2 + 2s. I had both the interfaces and the servos, to which overtime I did some upgrades. The servos were great, but too many times I experienced cherry red tubes. Long after selling them someone figured out how stabilize the servos. Eventually,  I bought a pair of 3.5Rs but by themselves their sound got lost in my big room, so I added 2 SVS powered subs, but couldn't get them to blend seamlessly. I then tried multichannel W4S amp, then replacing the OEM XO with active, which was getting closer, but the cheap Behringers and DBXs kept blowing up. A couple years ago I sold them and bought Emerald Physics KCIIs with $1000 worth of upgrades, but they did not match up with my subs. About 6 months ago I got a pair of EP 3.4s, which are magical if your room isn't as big as mine, but my subs match up pretty well. The 3.4s are ~ 99dB efficient (no complex load here) with a concentric polyester tweeter, and sound amazing. A big benefit is they are only 40" tall. And since the line was discontinued you can find them damn cheap

hth
I found Wendell to be the opposite very willing to listen and offer solutions, he is almost always available when in the office and his interaction on road trips is fantastic.
Magnepan like any company has to weigh cost vs sonic gain for any upgrades. 
I haven't noticed any problems with the rigidity of 1.7 or now 3.7i as they are.Magnepan is offering a hell of a great product at their price point I auditioned lots of speakers and none cane close.
I know some are frustrated by their not recommending amps but if you stay with a high current  non class D amp you should be fine.
Thanks Tweak1. There are so many more speakers out there that I don't know exist anymore since moving away from Boston. 
And as you say, with Emerald Physics they let you mod up to the level you want to pay. Heck, if Magnepan did that, I wouldn't have even bothered with this post.

Anyone Else with other ideas in this size range are welcome to chime in, it is the size that is the limiting factor for me with the 3.7i's. Well, that and knowing that they can be better if I just want to pitch my warranty out the window when I buy them and know that they will need new caps and inductors.

What I would wish for is a "2.7" with additional width for a ribbon tweeter. Why not that for $4k?
"... 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.