[celo]

So, TJHUB; did you have a chance to listen to them again? I used to have the 1.6s and I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but I cannot imagine anybody not liking them that much.

[TJHUB]

So, TJHUB; did you have a chance to listen to them again? I used to have the 1.6s and I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but I cannot imagine anybody not liking them that much.

I never did pursue an alternative dealer audition, and likely won't. 

[jsm71]

I followed this thread since it started and what a sad ending, but only because the OP never got to hear the 1.7s correctly set up.  I had 1.7s for a couple of years and enjoyed EVERY day I owned them.  As with any Maggie, setup is everything!  I got amazing 3D soundstage.  My dealer showed them off poorly as well.  I just don't get why good setups at dealers are so hard.   

Audio shows are another nightmare place to hear equipment.  My current speakers were shown at Axpona this month and they were not set up to their full potential either IMO.   I was not a fan of the equipment choices my manufacturer partnered with, but it was his room and he very well may have done his best given room issues.   I think almost any speaker can be set up in a favorable way given time and experimenting to find synergy with the electronics and cabling.  Show exhibitors don't get much time to dial it in.  They put themselves at risk however with people who are hearing them for the first time.   

Most 1.7s owners land in a very happy place eventually and the 1.7 reviews since their launch have been glowing, almost over the top.  Reviewers are blessed to have better than average gear to drive speakers with and that really helps Maggies but it is not required.  Good speakers respond to good electronics, and Maggies respond.  Reviewers also have the time to find a good placement setup.  To hear them and not be even a little impressed screams a problem if not multiple issues.

[mg3720]

I had my 1.7’s in my theater (acoustically treated) fed by solid state gear and they sounded “okay”.  When I replaced them with 3.7’s, the 1.7’s went to my two channel room (acoustically untreated) fed by McIntosh tube pre and power amps.  What a difference.  I am amazed at how much better they sounded in the two channel room.  Different rooms, different gear, different impressions, same speakers.

[jk@home]

I had my 1.7’s in my theater (acoustically treated) fed by solid state gear and they sounded “okay”.  When I replaced them with 3.7’s, the 1.7’s went to my two channel room (acoustically untreated) fed by McIntosh tube pre and power amps.  What a difference.  I am amazed at how much better they sounded in the two channel room.  Different rooms, different gear, different impressions, same speakers.

What were the sizes of the two rooms? From all the reviews etc. I have read, I keep getting an (unquailified) impression that the 1.7s, by way of the new design, may do better in smaller rooms, as compared to the older 1.6s. Or maybe that's just hopeful thinking on my part. 

[jimdgoulding]

I'm not an owner so this is pure speculation but I think your room is too large.  And here's a suggestion, don't use the same speakers for video and listening to music.  You shouldn't want to spread around magic so much that it becomes unmagical to you.  Anyone can take that with a grain of salt.  It's coming from a music lover and not a HT guy.

[SteveFord]

jk@home,
The only thing I can think of with the 1.7s working better in smaller rooms than the 1.6s is that the 1.7s come alive at lower volumes.

In a small room you can also get by with a modest powered tube amp; I went over to a fellow's house who was using 1.6s with a restored McIntosh 60WPC integrated and it sounded so good we loaded the speakers into my truck.
Driving through Chinatown in NYC during rush hour can only be described as surreal.

[ajzepp]

I had my 1.7’s in my theater (acoustically treated) fed by solid state gear and they sounded “okay”.  When I replaced them with 3.7’s, the 1.7’s went to my two channel room (acoustically untreated) fed by McIntosh tube pre and power amps.  What a difference.  I am amazed at how much better they sounded in the two channel room.  Different rooms, different gear, different impressions, same speakers.

There is a lot to what you said, as I had a similar experience. When I cheated on Maggie back in 2006, I bought some DeVore Fidelity Super 8s. To date, these are really the only "box speaker" under 10k that got me away from the Magnepans for a bit. I picked up about 20 acoustic panels from GIK since they are right down the road from me, and in the treated room the DeVores were unreal. When I finally sold them out of a desperate longing to have Maggie back, I was really shocked at how lifeless the 3.6s sounded. I mean, come on...I had worked long and hard to lug all those panels home and get them set up all over the place. I read on the forums how Maggies really don't like a lot of absorption, so I started taking things down one by one. When all was said and done, I was left with only two panels at the FRPs and one in the back of the room...the difference was stunning. I had a huge sound stage, beautiful imaging, and the air was just energized with that Maggie Magic. All rooms are different, of course, but in my experience I found that absorptive panels really aren't the best idea for Magnepans..at least not a whole lot of them.

Maggies require some effort to get situated, but once you find what makes her happy, the results are worth all the effort. The right room, the right amount of toe in, the proper distance from the walls, the right amp, etc, etc.

[jimdgoulding]

Good info, Zepp.  I do believe.

[jk@home]

jk@home,
The only thing I can think of with the 1.7s working better in smaller rooms than the 1.6s is that the 1.7s come alive at lower volumes.

In a small room you can also get by with a modest powered tube amp; I went over to a fellow's house who was using 1.6s with a restored McIntosh 60WPC integrated and it sounded so good we loaded the speakers into my truck.
Driving through Chinatown in NYC during rush hour can only be described as surreal.

Was it like a scene out of "Big Trouble In Little China"? Awesome movie 

[jk@home]

...I had worked long and hard to lug all those panels home and get them set up all over the place. I read on the forums how Maggies really don't like a lot of absorption, so I started taking things down one by one. When all was said and done, I was left with only two panels at the FRPs and one in the back of the room...

In my room, the rear wave of MMGs shoot partially into the front wall corner traps, and I found the same problem affecting mine. After first experimenting with some foil covered foam sheathing, I picked up a couple of poly reflectors to place in front of the traps, to reduce the high and medium absorption. Haven't tried them yet though, the room is now torn apart being remodeled.

[kevin360]

I followed this thread since it started and what a sad ending, but only because the OP never got to hear the 1.7s correctly set up.

I agree. Actually, it's doubly sad because TJHUB also got turned off the BDP-1, which is a great media player. I can't comment on the BDA-1. I already had the Audio Research DAC7 when I bought the BDP-1, and I really don't feel compelled to replace it. The only thing that could entice me away from the BDP-1 is the BDP-2 – it's that good!

It is a shame he didn't get to hear the 1.7s set up to deliver their best, which is outstanding. Of course, I don't think he's exactly suffering with his Salks (great speakers are really tough to replace). As far as the significant difference between the 1.7 and 3.7 is concerned, I can sum it up in one word – ribbon. That ribbon tweeter deserves every superlative one can use to laud its performance. Still, with its super-tweeter, the 1.7 inches the performance of the 1-series a couple of steps closer, in my opinion.

And here's a suggestion, don't use the same speakers for video and listening to music.  You shouldn't want to spread around magic so much that it becomes unmagical to you.  Anyone can take that with a grain of salt.  It's coming from a music lover and not a HT guy.

I agree with your basic tenet as long as it states that one cannot maximize both 2-channel and home theater simultaneously. To that end, I think TJHUB has his priorities straight and I've followed the same approach – 2-channel performance is the priority, but somewhat compromised HT capability is still fun. One can have both as long as he accepts a little compromise. I use a ceiling mounted projector which fires at a powered 92” drop screen. That keeps the video hardware out of the way when I'm just listening to music, which is most of the time. My 3.7s are set up for 2-channel performance, but that suffices for HT and I have a pair of MMGCs that I'm using for rears (not ideal, but they work very well). Many high-end preamps have cinema pass-throughs, but I'm still using a single box solution – no processor at all, but a simple, analog, multichannel preamp (SMc modded McCormack MAP1 – love it).

I picked up a couple of poly reflectors to place in front of the traps, to reduce the high and medium absorption.

That's a neat solution and I imagine it will work very well. I dumped my initial corner traps in favor of ASC tube traps, which are designed to reflect the energy above their trapping range. When I just had the thick absorbers spanning the front corners, I was doing more harm than good – didn't take long to realize my mistake. Maggies do 'prefer' a room which is fairly live.

[jk@home]

...That's a neat solution and I imagine it will work very well. I dumped my initial corner traps in favor of ASC tube traps, which are designed to reflect the energy above their trapping range. When I just had the thick absorbers spanning the front corners, I was doing more harm than good – didn't take long to realize my mistake. Maggies do 'prefer' a room which is fairly live.

Yeah, as long as they don't resonate like a drum, if so may have to do a "razor" mod on the back surface.

BTW, what ever happen to Dawnrazor? He hasn't posted on the MUG for a while, hope he's OK.

[kevin360]

Yeah, as long as they don't resonate like a drum, if so may have to do a "razor" mod on the back surface.

BTW, what ever happen to Dawnrazor? He hasn't posted on the MUG for a while, hope he's OK.

That is a possibility and a solution.

Dawnrazor had a number of reasons for 'dropping out'. It's been a while since I've communicated with him, although I have thought about it on several occasions. Your comment is the impetus I needed to get off on my ass and send him a message. I'll get back to you on this.

[medium jim]

DR is a good egg, albeit opinionated, but at least he speaks from 1st hand experience. That's funny, I'm opinionated, lol.   I too hope all is well with him!

Jim

[medium jim]

I've seen many a set-up for Planars, but I don't recall them orientated where they were centered in a corner and off the walls.   This would only be feasible in a square room of some notable size.  Might be interesting....or maybe not.

Jim

[kevin360]

BTW, what ever happen to Dawnrazor? He hasn't posted on the MUG for a while, hope he's OK.

I'll pass on his brief reply to your question: "Anyhow you can tell them that I am doing fine and it was just time to move on from audio.  I checked "audiophile" off my bucket list."

He's fine - just busy with other things. D is an honest and decent person - one of the nicest guys I've never met, but feel like I know (and I did buy an amp from him).

[jk@home]

I'll pass on his brief reply to your question: "Anyhow you can tell them that I am doing fine and it was just time to move on from audio.  I checked "audiophile" off my bucket list."

He's fine - just busy with other things. D is an honest and decent person - one of the nicest guys I've never met, but feel like I know (and I did buy an amp from him).

Thanks for the update Kevin, glad he's well. I can somehow relate to this, in the summertime I get so wrapped up in other hobbies that I will go for month away from the audio boards. It's actually quite strange to take time off, then return to read augments of copper vs silver wire, cable elevators, etc. I have to wonder what "normal" folks think when they read this stuff. 

[Freo-1]

Had forgotten about this thread.  The 1.7's are a great speaker, and a true bargin in high end audio.  Having said that, they are a planar after all, and careful attention is REQUIRED to get them to work right.  As someone who owned Acoustats for many years, planar speakers can drive you crazy if not set up correctly.
The Maggies need power, period.  I have a 55 watt tube amp, and while it does sound great with the Maggies at low volume, it really is not enough juice to get the most out of them.  I'm in the process of reworking the amps to get 100 to 110 watts out of them.  That should help.  I also have a Pass Labs INT-150 that seems subjectively as if the 1.7's were voiced with that integrated amp.  Unbelievably good match up, the sum truly exceeds the parts.
A couple other points:  I actually get the best sound from the Maggies with them closer to the wall (20 to 22 inches).  They also need a sub to fill out the bottom octave.  Currently geeting excellent results from a TBI Magellen VIII. 
 
The Salk speakers are a lot like my Cary Silver Oak speakers.  They are very easy to set up compared to Maggies, and more forgiving of what they are fed.  I moved the Cary's into the five channel setup, and am in the process of obtaining Tyler Taylo center channel and monitors, all of which employ the same drivers as the Cary's (and mostly the Salks).    The Maggies in the two channel only can sound  even better, BUT, they need power and to be set up right.  You either have the patience to do that, or you do not.   No actual right or wrong answer here. 

[ajzepp]

  I actually get the best sound from the Maggies with them closer to the wall (20 to 22 inches). 

Really?