[SteveFord]

This is already in the Reviews section (along with the MMG and 1.7) but note Wendell's postscript:

The Absolute Sound Magazine picks "Greatest Bargains" of 2012. See comments at  the bottom of the page by Jonathon Valin, Executive Editor.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/6-greatest-mid-priced-bargains-in-high-end-audio/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-57

P.S. If your 3.7s don't go below 45 Hz, please call us

[medium jim]

Steve:

The question is not if they can go below 45hz, it is with what oomph!  Room issues will affect the lower frequencies and such...MMG's just don't have enough physical size to do bass.  1.7's in a proper room and with enough horsepower might be able to satisfy some.  These are my unscientific thoughts.

Jim

[jhm731]

Combine the 3.7s with two DWMs and you have more bass area than the 20.7s, and it's still bargin.

[rw@cn]

This has been puzzlingly me for some time. 2 3.7s, 2 DWMs and you still need one or two subs if you want to go low. That is a lot of speakers, too many INMHO.

In my room I now have a pair of 1.7s (had 3.7s) and feel that slight Maggie leanness in the mid bass area. I also  often feel the need for a sub or two. However, I don't see the logic of spending a ton of money and added complication. Remember that each additional speakers require interconnects and troublesome placement problems.

Guys if Magnepan wants to correct the deficiencies (slight but noticeable) inherent in their speakers design, they need to go back to the drawing board. I always told my students that when things start to get to complicated it is time to step back and fix the design.

[medium jim]

This has been puzzlingly me for some time. 2 3.7s, 2 DWMs and you still need one or two subs if you want to go low. That is a lot of speakers, too many INMHO.

In my room I now have a pair of 1.7s (had 3.7s) and feel that slight Maggie leanness in the mid bass area. I also  often feel the need for a sub or two. However, I don't see the logic of spending a ton of money and added complication. Remember that each additional speakers require interconnects and troublesome placement problems.

Guys if Magnepan wants to correct the deficiencies (slight but noticeable) inherent in their speakers design, they need to go back to the drawing board. I always told my students that when things start to get to complicated it is time to step back and fix the design.

I was curious about full range speakers that could reproduce the bottom octaves and started a thread in the Bass Place Circle.  The results showed that there are not many that can. 

Magnepan's have incredible upper bass, midrange and highs, not to mention the soundstage, resolution, detail, clarity. I have no problem with having to reinforce the bass on my 2.5's.  Sorry, Magnepan has it right and doesn't need to go back to the drawing board!

Jim

[SteveFord]

rw@cn,
What gear are you using with the 1.7s?

[cab]

I have been told that the bass from the Tympani is the gold standard for the Magnepan line...how does it compare to the 20 or 3 series?

[Davey]

Jim is correct...it's the "oomph" factor.

Even the big speakers like 3.7's and 20.7's have limited excursion capability compared to many conventional drivers.  You can't get around the physics on this.  You need large, driven surface area and/or excursion capability to generate significant low frequency bass levels in larger rooms.

There's no way the MMG's can be considered a "full-range" speaker in nominal size rooms unless you listen to music with limited bass.  (The 3.7's and 20.1's maybe so.)

Equalization can extend the response of any speaker as low as you want, but it can do nothing to increase the maximum SPL capability.

Dave.

[rw@cn]

I was curious about full range speakers that could reproduce the bottom octaves and started a thread in the Bass Place Circle.  The results showed that there are not many that can. 

Magnepan's have incredible upper bass, midrange and highs, not to mention the soundstage, resolution, detail, clarity. I have no problem with having to reinforce the bass on my 2.5's.  Sorry, Magnepan has it right and doesn't need to go back to the drawing board!

Jim

My problem is that Magnepan wants you to reinforce the mid-bass (did I get that right) and most of us feel that the freqs below 40 require subs. Well, that is a lot of speakers.

I have a pair of 1.7s and also had a pair of 3.7s and I feel that there is a "lightness" to the mid-bass. I also feel the need for more real bass on some music. I assume that the folks at Magnepan also feel this way or they wouldn't suggest the DWM for this purpose.

All speakers have deficiencies and can be improved. My concern is that the improvement the folks at Magnepan propose is overly complicated. From reading the posts of those that have heard or have DWMs, the improvement is significant. Is that true? If that is true, then I suggest that Magnepan should consider a speaker that includes those improvements. Some will say that Magnepan did that and discontinued the speaker .

Jim, I thoroughly enjoy my Maggies and am looking forward to my 20.7 purchase this summer. I am sorry if you felt that I was denigrating the speakers. I am just saying that this "fix" seems to be overly complicated and costly.

[rw@cn]

rw@cn,
What gear are you using with the 1.7s?

Until recently Esoteric DV 50s, Bel Canto InControl preamp, Levinson 335 and Synergistic interconnects. Now Invicta DAC, Pass XP 10 preamp and NewClear 1000 amp. I also have diffusors and bass traps on the front wall. The system is better sounding but the mid bass is still a tad light. I posted this here over a year ago.

[jimdgoulding]

Which begats the question to me of what affordable subs are a good match?  1.7's in particular?  I tried friend's 8" sub with my Meridian 2 way, 3 driver speakers and never good get the thing to blend where you didn't know it was there.  Thanks.

[rw@cn]

Which begats the question to me of what affordable subs are a good match?  1.7's in particular?  I tried friend's 8" sub with my Meridian 2 way, 3 driver speakers and never good get the thing to blend where you didn't know it was there.  Thanks.

Some say that the Martin Logan Grotto works well with the 1.7 or 3.7 they can be had for $1k new.  I don't know if that is affordable. JLs are good but are more expensive.

[medium jim]

Which begats the question to me of what affordable subs are a good match?  1.7's in particular?  I tried friend's 8" sub with my Meridian 2 way, 3 driver speakers and never good get the thing to blend where you didn't know it was there.  Thanks.

Really, I use a pair of 8" subs with my Maggie's and have no problem making them disappear. I'm crossing them over at 80hz and it allows enough of the panel bass to shine through. 

Jim

[jimdgoulding]

Thanks, Jim, RW.

[mg3720]

I am very impressed with the bass response of my 3.7’s.  However, my 15 year old 3.5’s will go lower.  Lower to the point where they will compete with my 20.7’s.  I can speculate that the advantage of the 3.5’s is their age.
 
I have two pairs of 3.7’s as surrounds.  When in all channel stereo mode (theoretically the same stereo signal to all pairs of speakers), one pair will have a definite difference in performance.  Even Audyssey Pro calibration set their crossovers and different points.  I would have thought that since both pairs are identical the crossovers would be the same.  It must be their positions in the room that are making the difference.

[medium jim]

I am very impressed with the bass response of my 3.7’s.  However, my 15 year old 3.5’s will go lower.  Lower to the point where they will compete with my 20.7’s.  I can speculate that the advantage of the 3.5’s is their age.
 
I have two pairs of 3.7’s as surrounds.  When in all channel stereo mode (theoretically the same stereo signal to all pairs of speakers), one pair will have a definite difference in performance.  Even Audyssey Pro calibration set their crossovers and different points.  I would have thought that since both pairs are identical the crossovers would be the same.  It must be their positions in the room that are making the difference.

I have some older 2.5's that are two way with ribbon's, several have told me that they have more bass than the IIIA's that they're closely associated with....at some point soon, I will try them without the benefits of subs and see if they do.   I will use my BGW amp from the 70's that is over 400WPC in 4ohms for the test. 

Jim

[kevin360]

...my 20.7’s.
 
I have two pairs of 3.7’s as surrounds.

I don't believe it! Here, in the Planar Circle, I find my long-lost uncl...uh...well, 'mg3720', what kind of beer should I pick up on the way to your listening room? I have to ask – what are the dimensions of said room? In all seriousness, I'd love to hear such a setup as that – 'Sky Blue' off the SACD of Peter Gabriel's 'Up' would be mind-blowing...or 'Welcome to the Machine' (positively built for multichannel). That's one serious multichannel setup you have there.

[SteveFord]

rw@cn,
Sorry, I didn't remember what you were using.
I was just thinking about how much you can change the overall sound of your system simply by changing a few caps in your preamp if you don't have any tone controls.
I don't find the 1.7s to be lacking in the mid-bass with a Sonic Frontiers preamp although a little tube rolling helped.

[rw@cn]

rw@cn,
Sorry, I didn't remember what you were using.
I was just thinking about how much you can change the overall sound of your system simply by changing a few caps in your preamp if you don't have any tone controls.
I don't find the 1.7s to be lacking in the mid-bass with a Sonic Frontiers preamp although a little tube rolling helped.

Steve,

Not a problem. I tried tube rolling with the Bel Canto and finally gave up in frustration. One set of tubes would be great in some areas and lacking in others. I was able to sell the tubes, but I still lost money. The Pass is admittedly a bit bass shy but it is in the regions that the Maggies don't plumb and they are better now that Pass did something with the stock caps. I am looking to move to the XP 20 in a few months, I really like they way these things sound. It may sound dumb to spend so much on electronics and put only $2k into speakers, but the Maggies are just that good overall. My "final" move  will be the 20.7. I would have them now but when you own an older house, things keep popping up.   

[SteveFord]

I can relate to the things popping up - my refrigerator is now the back porch.  Good thing it's wintertime.
You should have sufficient bass with the 20.7s and I suspect you will be off the speaker upgrade merry go round.
It's off to the doctor for me, this sinus infection just will not go away.