Newbie Maggie question: Best bang for buck?

I've owned a few different pairs of Maggies, going back over thirty years. Love them! I'm sure others will chime in and answer your question but, for me, your question is purely academic. In other words, it's an interesting question with lots of answers but it's mostly beside the point of your speaker search.

We can debate "true ribbons" and bang-for-the-buck, etc, but the first and most important question you need to ask is: what size will work best in your room? Everyone talks about the space Maggies need, but until you've owned them, you can't really know how true it is. If you have a room that can handle 1.7i's, they're lovely. (That's what I currently have in my relatively small room.) If your room can do the 2.7i's, better. 3.7i's? Now you're talking! If I had the room and the budget, I'd get the 3.7i's. 

In other words, get the speakers that will work in your room. If you've got a small room, don't try to jam the bigger models into it; won't work. If you've got a ginormous room but can only afford the .7's, get a different speaker. (They'll sound nice but won't give you what you want in Maggies.)

You might have better luck if you name your budget (don't forget the amp! and subwoofers???) and describe your room. In a smaller room, with a good amp, the lower end of the line will sound beautiful. People love the LRS and .7's. If you can afford the 3.7i's and have the right room for them, they're majestic. But you'll ... need ... the ... right ... room. 

depends on room and budget

most would say 1.7i or 3.7i or somewhere in between as the sweet spot

leave $$ for serious amplification to bring out their best

@mhwalker 

Here is an excerpt from the Magnepan website.  From what I understand the upgrade to the "x" is quite expensive.  I agree with what @northman said and I think after deciding which version fits your needs you might think about paying the upgrade price, or maybe you might prefer to buy a used set at a much lower price and then DIY an upgrade yourself or hire a professional.  

I ran a pair of 1.7 for many years but found a great deal on a pair of used high end box speakers and prefer them.  My next move will be to do the improvements/mods  on the 1.7 to see how they stack up.  You may find as well that many prefer to run sub(s) with their Maggies.  

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"It was one of Jim Winey’s founding principles to provide, “hifi for the every-man.”  In order to continue this tradition we have often been required to compromise the quality of components and construction in order to fit a price point. The X series is the answer to the question: “What if we didn’t?”

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As an afterthought, for many years users complained about the parts quality of the Magnepans.  Magnepan pushed back on that idea.  Then a few years ago they came up with the improved "x" series.

IME, the .7 is the sweet spot of the standard offerings. It has superior coherency and bass dynamics to its larger brethren. I suspect that’s due to fewer crossover components in the signal path. It’s the only Maggie I have experienced that can do bass “punch” nearly as well as a decent dynamic cone speaker. I have not heard any of the models with the X upgrade. 
 

I would agree that the 3.7i is definitely the best sounding for the price. I’ve had 1.7, 1,7i and a friend the LRS+ , the 3.7 is definitely a giant step up in overall performance. You can usually find a decent used pair for under 5k if that fits your budget. I have mine in a 12 x 15 room with a pair of subs and the sound is tremendous.

good luck, get out and listen.