[TJHUB]

I know NOTHING about Maggie's other than I got to hear a pair of 1.7's running at a deal's showroom.  I was there to listen to a Bryston BDP-1.  The dealer had an all Bryston front end driving a pair of B&W 802D's.  To sum things up, the sound was honestly bad.  I was very surprised and rather disappointed. 

I saw a pair of 1.7's sitting next to the B&W 802D's.  I asked the dealer if they were connected to what we were listening to, and he said yes.  He flipped them on, and I was blown away.  Now to be fair, the 802D's were sounding bad (for whatever reason), so almost anything may have sounded better.  However, I think I have a good ear, and I heard something very good from the 1.7's. 

This has me thinking.  I'd LOVE to try the 1.7's in my room, but I'm very worried.  The Salk HT2-TL's I currently have are VERY good speakers.  I have hosted a few get togethers with some really great speakers, and none of them have bested the HT2-TL's for me. 

My setup is double duty as well.  I like to think of it as a 2-channel rig that is home theater capable.  2-channel has to sound as real and perfect as possible, while home theater just has to be entertaining and fun.  I'm not a loud listener for music, and I don't like movies to be too loud either. 

My room is rather large.  It is approximately 18' x 25' with 15' high cathedral ceilings.  The room is very open to the rest of the house as well.  I also will not listen to music without my EQ'd subs.  I currently high-pass my speakers at 80Hz, and I'm guessing I would do the same with the 1.7's.

So the question is, will the 1.7's be enough for my room?  Are the 3.7's a lot better sounding than the 1.7's?  Is there anything I should know about these, or should research before actually buying any Maggie's?  I guess I'm just looking for some advice.

You can see my room and gear by clicking on "systems."

[mr_bill]

I heard the 1.7s two weeks ago and was mightily impressed.

[TONEPUB]

As a life long panel owner (ML, Quad and Magnepans) I think you will either really respond to them or they will not be your cup of tea.  Try the most musical samples in your collection to really be sure.

This is where the Magnepans have always fallen down for me.  They aren't speakers that really "rock out"....  But what they do, they do very well.  If you listen to a lot more jazz, vocal and chamber music, you might be really satisfied with a pair of them, especially seeing you have the subs.  That's a pretty good sized room for 1.7's, the 3.7's  (or even 20.7's) will do better in a room that size.  See if your dealer can arrange for an in home demo.

Best of luck...

[Robin Hood]

The Maggie 20.7s will work even better. Yes they are expensive but as a lifelong purchase, something you will probably never change out for as long as you live and have space for, it's a bargain.

If not the 20.7 now, spring for the 3.7s and upgrade later. If your dealer permits an in home audition I believe you will be easily convinced that the 20.7s are well worth the money.

[SteveFord]

What they said plus 40 Hz would be more like it for the subs.

[NIGHTFALL1970]

If you like a nice wide open sound and no "box" sound then I highly recommend the 1.7s.
I mostly listen to hard rock, classic rock and Heavy Metal, and have had mine for a year and a half.
If you liked what you heard at the show room then I think you will love them with your equipment.  You have plenty of room to make them sing.

[TJHUB]

Thanks for the responses.  I was afraid most of you would say get the 3.7's or 20.7's, and I can't argue against them other than price.  This economy swallowed my company some years back, and I was forced to find a new career.  This new career is not going to allow me to buy anything over the 3.7's, and the 1.7's are what I'd call cheap.  After hearing them just the one time, something really grabbed me and I thought just maybe I could buy them and pocket some money from the sale of my Salk's. 

I'm also not one to "rock out," but I do have a few times per year I'll crank up some AC/DC, Ozzy, and the like.  I tend to listen to just about everything, but I enjoy Jazz the most just because of the sound I get from my setup. 

I guess the next step is to see what the dealer can do for me in terms of getting an in-home demo.  I did have my music along for the first time I heard the 1.7's because I went there to audition the BDP-1.  The funny thing is I left the dealer only interested in the Maggies...

[django11]

  I did have my music along for the first time I heard the 1.7's because I went there to audition the BDP-1.  The funny thing is I left the dealer only interested in the Maggies...

With the money you save not getting the BDP1 it sounds to me like the Maggies are free  ...

This probably won't be helpful but the smaller model, the MMG, comes with a 60 day money back guarantee that allows you to trade up if you like them but want more...

[SlushPuppy]

I purchased my 1.7's a couple of months ago and can say without hesitation that they are the most satisfying loudspeaker I've ever owned. I had Martin-Logan SL-3's and Vandersteen 2CE Signatures before these, and they never moved me the way these Magnepans do. Granted, the rooms and systems were different, but I never listened to either of them as often as I do the 1.7's. I chose these over the M-L Electromotions, which were damn good too.

[blownrx7]

I have Gunn'd 1.6's and a similar size room - 20x30 x 7-10'ceilings. The 1.7's can certainly fill the room but expect to have to move them out into the room more than your present speaker and re-arrange/augment your sound absorption to accomodate the speakers. With your subs and amp (the maggies definitely love lots of power), I'm guessing you will be thrilled with them in your setup. I'm a headbanger at heart and I feel that even though they are Gunn'd the 1.6's output less bass in comparison to my VonSchweikert VR4.5's so your setup with the subs will be ideal. For jazz and "less than concert level", I'm guessing you can run full range without the subs and be in heaven.
Go for it

[Elizabeth]

Well the general idea is folks either love Magnepans or would not have them.If you have been 'smitten' with them then perhaps you should try the 1.7's BEFORE you sell the speakers you now own.
Maybe a deal with your dealer: if you love the 1.7s and want to jump to the 3.6s within a year you get the full amount back on your 1.7 trade in? (this would mean you paid full retail for both of them, but the deal would be worth it if you DID move up within say a year.)
And if you do not like the 1.7 in your home, you still have your old speakers, and can sell the 1.7s for a small loss.
Works for me.

[jtwrace]

As a life long panel owner (ML, Quad and Magnepans) I think you will either really respond to them or they will not be your cup of tea.  Try the most musical samples in your collection to really be sure.

This is where the Magnepans have always fallen down for me.  They aren't speakers that really "rock out"....  But what they do, they do very well.  If you listen to a lot more jazz, vocal and chamber music, you might be really satisfied with a pair of them, especially seeing you have the subs.  That's a pretty good sized room for 1.7's, the 3.7's  (or even 20.7's) will do better in a room that size.  See if your dealer can arrange for an in home demo.

Best of luck...

+1

[MaggiesAndCats]

Not to stir the pot  , but depending on what you can get for your current speakers you might consider a used pair of 3.x speakers.  They are 3-ways with the true ribbon tweeter.  With your subs and the excellent lower midbass of the larger speakers you could have a very nice sounding system.

Regards,

Steve

[TJHUB]

I really appreciate all of the comments here.  My plan is to audition the 1.7's at the dealer and see if I can determine the limitation volume wise.  The dealer's room is rather large as well, so it should be representative. 

I'd love to go with the 3.7's, but I'm afraid my budget isn't going to allow it for at least a couple of years.  So for me, it's 1.7's or bust. 

I was speaking to a friend of mine about this idea, and he raised some concerns about horizontal dispersion.  He said the Maggie's are incredible, but I wouldn't like their "beaming."  Is there any truth to this?



 

[madog99]

they do have a real sweet spot , but in a big room like yours that might not be an issue when set up proper . If your dealer can't give you a home demo you might try the home demo of the MMG's , I think they give you full money back if you trade up ? I'm not sure about that as it is not available up here .

[josh358]

I really appreciate all of the comments here.  My plan is to audition the 1.7's at the dealer and see if I can determine the limitation volume wise.  The dealer's room is rather large as well, so it should be representative. 

I'd love to go with the 3.7's, but I'm afraid my budget isn't going to allow it for at least a couple of years.  So for me, it's 1.7's or bust. 

I was speaking to a friend of mine about this idea, and he raised some concerns about horizontal dispersion.  He said the Maggie's are incredible, but I wouldn't like their "beaming."  Is there any truth to this?

No truth in the case of high frequency beaming, the new supertweeter on the 1.7 should take care of that. However, any dipole radiator by its nature sends most of its sound energy forwards and backwards, with a null to the sides. It's a figure 8 pattern. That's an advantage in that dipoles are less sensitive to room acoustics (though more sensitive to positioning), and also in that they're less likely to disturb the neighbors. But it also means that they aren't the ideal party speakers, since they don't fill the entire room with sound the way a dynamic does. What I suggest is that you walk around the dealer's showroom a bit to get a sense of the effect.

[SteveFord]

You can crank the 1.7s pretty well but if you like the sound and for a room that size I'd sell something and snag the 3.7s.
You could try putting your neighbors on CraigsList, for example.  You never know, somebody might buy them.
Simply because nobody bought my neighbors doesn't mean it won't work for you.

[TJHUB]

I auditioned the 1.7's at the dealer for 2 hours today.  I must say that they left a lot to be desired.  I was rather disappointed to say the least. 

The 1.7's are ok at best.  I had a very hard time really finding anything I thought they did well.  Were they bad?  I don't think so. 

To just sum things up, they were not transparent.  They had a midrange sound to them, like I was listening to speaker.  The treble was not very airy sounding, but it wasn't lifeless either.  There was also a sort of grain to the sound, and they come off dry sounding.  I just wasn't hearing anything I'd call lifelike or realistic.  Again, I was really disappointed.

I asked to swap in a pair of 3.7's, and the sound changed dramatically.  These sound much closer to what I'm used to hearing from my Salk HT2-TL's.  The treble was much more open and extended.  There was definitely more of an airy quality.  The midrange was certainly more transparent and lifelike.  Still, I don't think I would trade my Salk's for them. 

Here is the part that's really bugging me.  The imaging was not good at all.  At no point in time did anything regarding imaging sound good or even remotely interesting.  My Salk setup images fantastically.  I felt the sound from the Maggie's was coming from the panels, because that's exactly what it sounded like.  At no time did anything disappear.  I expected a lot more from this. 

The overall tone on the 3.7's was good, but the 1.7's really lacked in this regard. 

Now, before any of you get all upset about me pooping all over these things, please know that the dealer was useless.  I told him what I thought in the nicest way possible, and all he said was that we all like different flavors.  At one point he was pissing me off and I told him the only flavor I like is real.  If that's a flavor, than that's the only one I want. 

The electronics driving the Maggie's was a Byston BDP-1/BDA-1 combo.  The amp was a 1,000 watt something or other, but I didn't pay that much attention as the speakers weren't sounding very good.  They also had Kimber Kables on everything. 

This is the second time I hear the BDP-1.  I guess that's off my list as I just don't believe it brought anything special to the table. 

So now I'm left wondering whether I "heard" the 1.7's or not.  Everyone seems to love these things, and I sure didn't.  So was something wrong with audition?  Are my Salk's even better than I think they are?  What's going on here?

I was so hoping to buy the 1.7's and get by for a while.  I was hoping to hear enough potential to want to bring them home and see what I can get out of them.  Of course this deal is an ass and won't even offer a 7 day return policy.  I don't want to buy from him out of principal alone.

Thoughts?

[thunderbrick]

About 5 years ago I went to a dealer to audition the 1.6s using my amp, and was sorely disappointed.  Just nothing special.  At all.

But I couldn't shake the idea that something was wrong so I bought a used pair and stuck them (still in the box) in my basement pending major renovations.

Got 'em out, hooked them up to the same amp, and picked my jaw up off the floor!  A long line of folks have since entered the man cave and walked out stunned. 

Can't say more than that!   

Oh, yeah, my room?  22 x 26 x 10, subs crossed over at around 50hz.  Two channel only, I like it loud, layered, deep and wide.  And they sure deliver.  I've even begun to revisit jazz recordings for that special "you are there" feeling.  And folk singers?  Absolutely in the room.   

[johzel]

Hi T,

As you have taught me the room can mean everything.  So until you have your Salks in that same room with the same equipment wouldn't it be difficult to make a judgment between the speakers?  Sure would be interesting to get a pair of Maggies in your own room with your own equipment.  I'll bet the dealer in question wasn't interested in sending a pair home with you?? At the same time, as I am learning, the best investment you can make . . . you already made