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
@daveyf 

This is Wendell speak from Magnepans Website where Wendell says they are "Purists".

"How do Magneplanars produce bass? 

If you make it big enough, a full-range dipole speaker can equal the bass performance of a dynamic speaker. We could have gone the route of other companies and made a hybrid speaker that uses a dynamic woofer for the bass. We made some prototypes, but they didn't sound like a full-range ribbon speaker. Again, it was a choice. Should we stick with a purist strategy? Race car engines are not a compromise. But, there is a "price" to be paid for the performance — size."


Well guess what, most race car engines are smaller that their street car brethren because they use more expensive technology, not bigger technology. And a Purist would use audiophile grade components in their "race car". I do think that the design is worthy, but that came before he came along.


He can't have it both ways. Well he can, but some of us believe he is expressing false economy, and projecting that on Magnepan's customers.


As I said before, taking his word for speaker wire specs was a mistake, and I might as well confess that I also bought his line about subs, having never heard REL's, and so bought two DWM bass panels. What a waste of money. I can't even sell both for $500.




And this is Wendell dissing other manufacturers for using less expensive parts in their product. 
"A good receiver might produce 30-40% more power at 4 ohms. Most receiver manufacturers don't want to talk about 4 ohm ratings because they have cut the "guts" out of their products to keep the cost down."
So I must be missing something completely, right?
I don't think DMW bass panels were ever marketed as subwoofers but rather to reinforce the bass of existing Maggie's which go to about 30 or 35 hz.
If Maggie's sound could be greatly improved at a very reasonable price I'm sure they would be, or someone would be offering it as a service or a diy kit.
If you feel better buying a different speaker you think offers you more at the same price buy them.
I think Maggie's continue to be a terrific bargain in today's world for us who enjoy the sound after all every speaker is a compromise.

As far as the race car comparison, that's nonsense. Passenger car and SUV engines are getting smaller and smaller. And, for production racing (by far the most common form) the size of the motors corresponds mostly to the size of the production car motor. Even true with retrograde NASCAR   With F1, it's completely at the mercy of the marketing and political whims of the FIA. And Motorcycle racing hasn't messed with the engine categories in over 20yrs. So it had NOTHING to do with audio, whatsoever. 
The guy sounds lazy.  Rather than cheap and greedy, like klipsch, as a corporate strategy.  But it’s working for him.  Until it doesn’t.  Fortunately there’s a lot of innovation going on with parts and designs for those of us who care.  Magnepan doesn’t owe anybody anything, so file your grievance and make the most of your own ingenuity.