New Magnepan 3.7 i ?

After the 3.7 was introduced it was obvious that the 20.1 would get the same treatment from wire to quasi ribbon, from a manufacturing standpoint if nothing else. I said that on the planar asylum and it was the experts and gurus who said it was not going to happen. When the 20.7 was very quietly announced the same crowd said it was logical for Magnepan to move to QR in the flagship speaker. Forums are 90% banter and 10% solid information on a good day. All manufacturers are tight lipped about product R&D and new models, just SOP. Hence caveat emptor.

Brownsfan,

In recent years, they seem to have been releasing one major upgrade a year. It wouldn't surprise me if they moved pretty quickly from a decision to make say a 20.7 to production -- it's not an entirely new model like the Mini Maggie, which Jim Winey says took him 20 years to design! But their requirements for a new model are pretty strict -- it has to be preferred in a blind test by both expert and non-expert listening panels, as well as meeting other requirements -- and as Wendell said at the time, the 20.1 was a hard act to follow. So it seems entirely plausible to me that he wouldn't have known whether they'd have something sufficiently good in time.

Of course, since they won't talk about R&D and new models except in the vaguest terms, we have no way of knowing. However, they seem to time new models for CES, so it seems to me that after CES might be a good time to buy, since you know then that you'll probably have a year before a next model might arrive.

Another thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that loudspeaker model upgrades are usually incremental. I've had models change right after I bought electronics so I know the feeling, but, seriously, what was fine a year ago is probably still great today. In fact, I often like to pick up the old model when it goes on sale, because you usually get a great discount.

IIRC, what happened on the Asylum was that we discussed what Wendell said about not being sure of a new model, which was in some of the magazines -- TAS, I think. At some point, someone said that a dealer had told them that they were going to release an anniversary edition Tympani -- I think that may have been here -- and then I think someone heard an accurate rumor from a dealer. I could be remembering the model wrong.

Another sign I've noticed is when dealers start selling their floor demos.

But anyway you look at it, it's a digital process -- someone is going to get the model right before they make the change!

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.

Too much transparency to consumers can be a dangerous thing for a manufacturer of consumer products. Word travels fast and consumers can stop on a dime in terms of buying current product. It can kill a company fast.

The first rule in running a business: keep in business.

According to their website the cost is $500 plus shipping....not much other info