Thinking of Magnepan ... finally!

a few additional comments on what has been said

I have owned 3 sets of Maggies and love them dearly. Properly set up, Maggies have bass, but a subwoofer is always a good idea. Cross it over around 80 Hz. If you think of your walls as mirrorr, you will get the idea: angle the maggies toward the listener, the space between them 8 feet apart in your room. Try to angle the speakers 30 - 45 degrees to the back wall and about 2 - 3 feet out. The idea is to bounce the back wave off the back wall and onto the side wall, where it bounces again, lengthening the path of the back wave before it gets to the listener. Also the inevitable cancellation that wil occur around the sides of the speaker is upset by the differing distance from the speaker edges to the back wall, and minimized (due to the angleing of the speaker to the back wal). I recommend the 1.7i as your first pair.

@boomerbillone’s description above is terrific, very well said

other points

-- sub integration, if you use rel’s and their high level connection, is not any more difficult than integrating them with any other serious speaker - and in absolute terms, not hard, but you have some patience and rigor in your approach - current rels certainly have the speed to keep up with the maggies

-- better jumper and fuse bypass are easy and make a small but noticeable difference... outboard crossovers usually aren’t worth it, just buy a better maggie!...

-- i versions imo add a noticeable degree of warmth and weight to the sound that my ears very much appreciate

I really appreciate the input and feedback from everyone. This is exactly the kind of input I was hoping for. It will be difficult for me to address and thank each one of you individually but please know that I really appreciate the detailed, high quality responses. Regardless of the outcome, the advice to try it in my own system is on point!

I think buying a used 1.7i is the right path for me at this time. If the sound appeals to me then perhaps I can think about upgrading in the future. If not, as mentioned earlier, it should not be difficult to resell it without incurring a major loss. 

Also, thank you for the placement tips. Based on what I'm hearing I have enough amplification and room to allow the Maggies to shine. I will, of course, tweak with placement as that's part of the fun anyways. Unfortunately, I ended up selling my REL subs to make way for another purchase. I might have to buy another pair some time in the future, but only if I decide to stick with the Maggies. The Aavik and Joseph Audio combo really made the subs redundant, but who knows I might get one in the future.

As someone with cats in the house, I am a bit concerned of the damage they can cause. I usually keep them out of the media room but it's impossible to always keep an eye on them. My fear is that they might scratch and tear the front fabric. Not sure how costly it will be to replace the fabric just in case.

Lastly, I looked at the Soundlabs suggestion by another poster. Definitely looks like a higher-end and possibly better built version of the Maggies. But they are a bit outside of my budget (new) at the moment. Plus, I don't see anything in the used market. But it's good to know that an alternative exists.

I will be on the lookout for a used 1.7i pair to show up in the local market (Dallas, TX). Kinda weary of buying it unheard from the online markets.

I owned two maggies in the past the last one was the Manepan IIIa. They do require a powerful amp that is very stable all the way to 2 ohms to make them sing properly. Once they are set up properly you'll be rewarded with a wide and deep soundstage that goes beyond the side and front walls. What I love about them is you can practically place them very close to the side wall and it won't affect the soundstage given that you give it ample space from the front wall to breathe properly.

The only minor pet peeve I have with them is that if you move your head from your optimal listening position in your listening chair the soundstage tends to collapse. Other than that these are excellent speakers as long as you feed them with proper ancillary equipment.

Anyway, a friend just bought a brand new 20.7 model that he waited patiently for at least 3 months before it was delivered to him. I was floored by how good they are when I listen to them for the very first time. The very first thing I noticed was their uncanny ability to disappear in the listening room and if you give it more power the whole listening room disappears that's how good these speakers are. 

I sold them in my shop when they were new and still have my Tympani I-C’s working perfectly.

If you set them up properly IN YOUR ROOM, you will never hear a more accurate speaker. ARC gear makes them sing, but whatever you like is probably going to be OK. I DO suggest an ARC pre-amp, and a NEW one is not required. I still use my SP-6B and have no issues with it.

Welcome to the world of accurate music reproduction (yes, I am very biased!)

SUGGESTION:  Try "Diamonds and Rust" for a nice demo...

Cheers!

I have a pair of .7’s, wanted to try their sound. Very nice with my Threshold SA/4e or my S500II. Small room-good sound.  14 X 14 feet-took some placement time and room treatment (LEGO)! Ha!