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
Newbie Maggie question: Best bang for buck?
I know I am destined to buy my first pair of Maggies soon. These will likely be my last “forever” speaker. So I want to get it right - one swing and a home run is what I need. Yet, I have more desires than I have money. Here’s (hear’s) my question:
In general (ahem, in general) as you go up and down the Maggie line, basically (ahem, basically) what changes is the size of the speakers and their drivers. Larger surface area = more moving air = bigger soundstage, etc.
BUT:
Other than size, what is the “sweet spot” in the Magnepan line from a technological / design perspective? In other words, where in the Maggie line can I get the most bang for my buck? Which speaker utilizes the best of Magnepan’s technological refinements, yet keeps the size and cost to a minimum?
Theoretically, if all Megnepans were the same size, which one would provide the best sound at the cheapest cost?
Thanks in advance for your sage like advice!
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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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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?” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. |
3.7i is the sweet spot.....because inevitably upgraditis will get you and you will be selling some lower model you bought now (at a loss) to get to a 3.7 anyway. However, a magnepan is not exactly a complete speaker. You could stick with just a magnepan if you don’t have an eclectic taste in music. Otherwise, you will need a second pair of box speakers, horns or concentrics or something very different from a magnepan. In other words, there shall be no one swing and a home run for you. There are a lot guys in audiophilia who lie to themselves about such things, one swing and one home run n all. Such things don’t happen.
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