[AvsFan]

Like we needed another LRS and comparison thread but I want to make a smart choice. I am at the 8 month mark now and have 4 more months to decide if I want to upgrade to a model higher up in the Magnepan food chain. I am skipping over the .7 and on to the 1.7i.
 
Magnepan said they offered the LRS as a gateway drug into their higher end models. Well I'm now an addict! Thanks Wendell and Magnepan! My question is this, did they make the LRS too special for their own good? I mean for $650, this seems like one helluva speaker and bargain. It's good, real good. Should I just sit back and enjoy what I have or upgrade to the 1.7i and call it a day? Is the 1.7i a significant step up from the LRS? I know as audio enthusiasts, we tend to always want the next best thing or to upgrade. If I did upgrade to the 1.7i, that's it, done! That's the final frontier for me and as high up the Magnepan ladder I will ever climb. No way am I ever paying $4000 for a pair of speakers. So I need real world advice from people who own the 1.7i and have also heard the LRS's. Kind of hard to say yes, do it if you have never heard the LRS.
But I don't mind 1.7i owners to tell me how they feel about their speakers even not hearing the LRS's. So go ahead!

[Saturn94]

I went into buying the LRS with same thought process as you.

However, last night after listening to my LRS with the upgraded stands (Magna Risers Airborne), and with my Powersound sealed sub, I lost all desire to spend more on bigger Maggies.

Many years ago I auditioned the 1.7 (not 1.7i) at a couple dealers and wasn’t impressed.  Looking back on it,  I don’t think either audition was set up to really show what the 1.7 could do.  One was set up in a lobby and the other driven by a low powered amp.

[AvsFan]

I went into buying the LRS with same thought process as you.

However, last night after listening to my LRS with the upgraded stands (Magna Risers Airborne), and with my Powersound sealed sub, I lost all desire to spend more on bigger Maggies.

Many years ago I auditioned the 1.7 (not 1.7i) at a couple dealers and wasn’t impressed.  Looking back on it,  I don’t think nether audition was set up to really show what the 1.7 could do.  One was set up in lobby and the other driven by a low powered amp.

My thoughts on the LRS's were if they work in this office set up, cool, if not, then it was only $650 and not huge deal. Well they work! They work real good. It's a small room but I do have them 4 feet off the back wall and two feet from the side walls. And it's sounding real good where I have them set up. I am going to assume that I will have the same results as you. I have a real good subwoofer on the way, a dual 8 inch sealed design from Louis over at Omega Speakers. A 60v power supply from Tommy at DAC and I plan on buying those stands as well, if for nothing else, they look sweet! But if they enhance performance even better. By the time I have this room set up the way I want it, there probably won't be a need to upgrade to the 1.7i's.

[SteveFord]

How big is the room?

[AvsFan]

How big is the room?

12x10

9 foot ceilings

[smargo]

Magnepan said they offered the LRS as a gateway drug into their higher end models. Well I'm now an addict! Thanks Wendell and Magnepan! My question is this, did they make the LRS too special for their own good? I mean for $650, this seems like one helluva speaker and bargain. It's good, real good.

yes - yes -and yes - its so damn good. I have to be reminded that im only listening to a speaker that is $650 (with a powered sub - that's what makes it special)

[I.Greyhound Fan]

12x10

9 foot ceilings

You can use the 1.7's in that size room.  I have a friend who is also an AC member that uses them in a near field configuration in a smaller room.  You may need some room treatments though.  His system sounds awesome.  He uses an AVA 400R amp with the FET Valve preamp, dual Rhythmik Subs and a  T+A DAC 8 DAC.

[dwmaggie]

Talley Ho.  If you are happy with the treble from about 12k and up stick with the LRS.  I have too many Maggies.  MMG, MGA, MGB, MGCIII, pair of DWMs, MGW, and a single Maggie center channel(not in use).  The MGCIII uses a ribbon tweeter.  The MMGs lack is as mentioned above, from about 12k and up.  The MGCIII were sold to me as needing ribbons repaired, but actually, the midrange was blown also....  I really like the Magnepans.    I have Mye stands on the DWMs.  I purchased a pair of Martin Logan Clarities to augment the treble of the MMGs.  Works great, large array of drivers across the sound stage.  The ML Clarities just don't quite have the coherence of the Magnepan midrange,  The Clarities have the extended highs missing from the MGWs.  Someday, will get the ribbons repaired and combine the Ribbons and the MGWs.  I use a DAC 60volt Maraschino to drive them.  Will need to look at the stands, the larger Myes get pricey.  A possible suggestion if you find a need for more hi frequency, a pair of Linaeum tweeters will match the output volume of the Magnepans and blend in well.  The LRS is the direct replacement of the MGWs.  The DWMs are a woofer augmentation 40 to 200hz, they help pressurize the bass energy.  A subwoofer swarm complements the extreme low end.  In your situation moving up to the Magnepan line to a 1.7i may not offer much more sound.  25 years ago my first Magnepans were a working pair of MGCIII, in oatmeal white.  Ugly as can be, sound crystal clear.  Sold them too cheap and regretted this ever since.  The road is long, Magnepan helps ease the way.  Jerry
 

[AvsFan]

yes - yes -and yes - its so damn good. I have to be reminded that im only listening to a speaker that is $650 (with a powered sub - that's what makes it special)

The blue collar working man can now enjoy true high end audio! And even if someone were to ask me, hey I have $650 to spend and I have to put these close to a wall and run them off of my audio video receiver. I would still suggest the LRS. Yes, it’s true that the better the electronics the better and more magical they sound and with proper placement. But I threw these up pretty close to a wall and used them in my home theater ran off of my Pioneer AVR and they still sounded pretty darn good.

[SteveFord]

Hard to make a wrong choice but if it were me I'd take the plunge and go with the 1.7s.
You should get more of an immersive effect in that size room.

I would also keep the LRS and find a spot for them somewhere.
It turns out that's what most people do, they don't send speakers back to trade up.

[brooklyn]

From my own recent experience I would say when the sub arrives and it’s dialed in, you probably are not moving up to the 1.7’s.. I’m very happy with my .7’s and a Presonus T8 sub.. I don’t feel like I’m missing a thing.. Most of the time I don’t even turn the sub on unless I'm listening to classic rock.. Enjoy the music..

[lovelexicon]

I  have not heard the LRS.

But I have auditioned both the .7 and the 1.7i (both set up properly at a dealer).  The image of the 1.7i is much bigger than the .7.  And I bought the 1.7i.

[AvsFan]

I  have not heard the LRS.

But I have auditioned both the .7 and the 1.7i (both set up properly at a dealer).  The image of the 1.7i is much bigger than the .7.  And I bought the 1.7i.

I keep telling myself that I am happy with the LRS's but why not just go with the best I can afford and not have any doubts. The 1.7i sounds so nice. I need to hear it for myself. My local HI-FI shop has either the .7 or 1.7i on display. Think I will take a trip down there this weekend.

[rollo]

  Bring YOUR Amp unless the dealer has the same Amp. Very helpful in deciding.

charles

[ketcham]

I would request an in house demo.  When I owned Magnepan they would ship to my door and I had 30 day no questions ask demo with option to ship back.  The 1.7 are reasonable to ship.  I owned the 1.4, (been a while) and they were wonderful, until my cat destroyed one.  Had them rebuilt and later my 2 yo daughter, no fault of her own, she pushed one over.

Synergy and environment are essential.  And the 1.7 are manageable for a in house demo.  The Magnepans are the most position dependent speaker I have owned, planar, dipole, traditional or horn.

My instincts say you will enjoy the new speakers but what you have are excellent performers and some have preference to what you have over what you are auditioning, hence the need for in home audition.  Both would work well in your space.

-j

[Craig B]

I keep telling myself that I am happy with the LRS's but why not just go with the best I can afford and not have any doubts. The 1.7i sounds so nice. I need to hear it for myself. My local HI-FI shop has either the .7 or 1.7i on display. Think I will take a trip down there this weekend.

"Go with the best I can afford" is, to my way of thinking, the right approach. While the LRS's have been getting great press, if I bought them without hearing the others first, I'd forever be second guessing myself over whether a speaker created as a "sampler" (even one that puts every other $650 speaker in the world to shame) would satisfy me long-term. The only way around that is to determine your budget, then hear what other model(s) fall within your cost limits. In my case, the budget was strict - I knew I wasn't going to spend $2200 on speakers, so I went to hear the  .7s, and deliberately avoided the 1.7i. Lots of online friends and acquaintances told me I was crazy to do that, because the 1.7i was so much better. But speaker buying can be a lot like boat buying, where my boat-owning sister-in-law talks about emotionally-charged buyers having "two-foot-itis," wherein they keep creeping incrementally larger in their shopping, and, like I said, I knew that I was never going to spend the price of the 1.7i, and didn't want to be tempted to do so. I know the Maggie sound, having lived for 20 years as the original owner of a pair of MG-1s, and when I heard the .7s, I heard all the Maggie magic I recalled and then some. And the sonic images were sufficiently close to life-size for my ear, so I didn't feel any pressing need for larger panels to move more air.

By saying all of this, I don't mean to suggest that everyone (or even anyone) should be happy with the .7s and they never need to spend more. I'm saying only two things: 1) know your budget and stick to it, and 2) I'm supremely happy with my purchase.

Good luck and happy shopping!

[AvsFan]

I would request an in house demo.  When I owned Magnepan they would ship to my door and I had 30 day no questions ask demo with option to ship back.  The 1.7 are reasonable to ship.  I owned the 1.4, (been a while) and they were wonderful, until my cat destroyed one.  Had them rebuilt and later my 2 yo daughter, no fault of her own, she pushed one over.

Synergy and environment are essential.  And the 1.7 are manageable for a in house demo.  The Magnepans are the most position dependent speaker I have owned, planar, dipole, traditional or horn.

My instincts say you will enjoy the new speakers but what you have are excellent performers and some have preference to what you have over what you are auditioning, hence the need for in home audition.  Both would work well in your space.

-j

I totally agree. Before I found the perfect spot in my room for my LRS's, I was getting frustrated and almost returned them. I'm glad I didn't. I'm loving what I hear now. I think I am going to add the sub to the mix and then go from there. After adding that, I might find that it changes the entire dynamics of this system and won't have the desire or need to upgrade.

[Paddlefoot]

i have pair on the way, i plan on using my2 DWM that are connected at the moment to my mini maggies. i have always wanted to try these out, these should play a little louder than my mini, when i get funky.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I totally agree. Before I found the perfect spot in my room for my LRS's, I was getting frustrated and almost returned them. I'm glad I didn't. I'm loving what I hear now. I think I am going to add the sub to the mix and then go from there. After adding that, I might find that it changes the entire dynamics of this system and won't have the desire or need to upgrade.

You will love a good sub with the LRS's or 1.7i's.  It will completely change your experience.  It will take time to get the sub dialed in.

I really like the Rhythmik subs with Maggies.  They are servo controlled, non ported and have a parametric equalizer so you can smooth out any bumps.