New Magnepan .7 debuts at T.H.E. Show

SteveFord · « **on:** 28 May 2014, 12:13 am »

Dear Press Member,

In Room 221 of the Atrium at T.HE. Show in Newport Beach, Magnepan will introduce a new model for those who say the 1.7 is too big for their room. The Magneplanar .7 is a scaled-down version of the popular 1.7.

For those wanting a Maggie that is even smaller, Room 218 across the hall will highlight the Mini Maggie System operating as a small room monitor system

jarcher · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 May 2014, 01:23 am »

Local dealer confirmed this today & that its supposed to ship out in the next few weeks tops. Seems like it will be a replacement for the MG12 & same price ($1195) & feature all QR construction like the 1.7. That's all I know for now. Anyway - it's a good deal as they need something to fill the gap between the MMG & the 1.7. Think this might spike sales of any "Super MMG" though…….who would want the old non-QR panels?

SteveFord · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 May 2014, 08:51 pm »

I spoke w/ Wendell today and it looks like things are still up in the air regarding finishes and pricing.
It sounds as if there is going to be 3 different colors/finishes and as jarcher said, this is what the MG12 fans have been waiting for.
If anyone is going to this show, a review would be greatly appreciated.

KKM · « **Reply #3 on:** 31 May 2014, 06:57 am »

What I want is a true ribbon slightly smaller than the 1.7, bring back the 2 series but smaller, I'd buy a pair in a heartbeat, 3.7 is too large for my room.

persisting1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 31 May 2014, 08:58 am »

We need pics!

Minn Mark · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 Jun 2014, 02:56 pm »

I don't necessarily agree that smaller is better. Here's my 3.6/Rs in my room: 13 ft wide by 7 ft tall by about 20 feet deep. Definitely NOT too much speaker for the room.

Powered by great Audio by VanAlstine solid state electronics ( ca 300W into 4 ohms), and play mostly vinyl (now on VPI Classic). Buy Minnesotan, and Buy American !
Buy the best you can afford !

Good luck, and Happy listening !

Mark

krikor · « **Reply #6 on:** 6 Jun 2014, 12:54 pm »

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/newport2014/newport2014_magnepan.htm

jhm731 · « **Reply #7 on:** 6 Jun 2014, 04:54 pm »

You can read about Wendell Diller's rant:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/show-2014-day-1

josh358 · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Jun 2014, 12:03 am »

Quote from: krikor on 6 Jun 2014, 12:54 pm

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/newport2014/newport2014_magnepan.htm

I like the stealth base.

RDavidson · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Jun 2014, 12:10 am »

I don't understand why Magnepan doesn't let Stereophile review their speakers. They used to. Despite less than perfect measurements, Stereophile's reviews were largely quite positive. If anything, Stereophile's reviews point to the fact that perfect/imperfect measurements and good/bad sound don't always correlate. Magnepan owners worldwide, I'm certain, agree.

jhm731 · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 Jun 2014, 06:09 pm »

Diller's respond to the Stereophile blog:

Jason completely misunderstood my intent—and he failed to mention that I wished to kill the rumors circulating on the Internet that Stereophile "has it in" for Magnepan. I was not "going off" on Stereophile. Quite the opposite. I wished for Jason to understand that I was defending you. The fact that Paul Seydor from TAS was there to witness what I said did make it "public" to some degree, but I don't understand why Jason found it necessary to air it in his blog. So, now I feel compelled to publicly state what I was trying to explain to Jason.

I have the highest regard and respect for you and Stereophile magazine. It is not fair that Stereophile has been accussed of a vendetta against Magnepan. Jason said that he doesn't read this stuff in the chat rooms, but I believe it can be damaging. There are a lot of "conspiracy theories" why Maggies are not reviewed in Stereophile, but it is not complicated. You and I have discussed them a number of times. And there are no hidden agendas. There will be those that will criticize me or Magnepan, but you and Stereophile are not to be faulted.

Wendell Diller
Marketing Mgr.
Magnepan

DavidS · « **Reply #11 on:** 8 Jun 2014, 06:47 pm »

seems so typical - we spill more ink and spend time on some small controversy than we spend on an exciting new announcement such as the .7's. I look forward to hearing more about the new speakers, even maybe reading some reviews. And hopefully hear them myself. On my shortlist for my small listening room.

josh358 · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Jun 2014, 07:35 pm »

Really.

For those interested in the speakers rather than the controversy, Wendell sent along some prideful excerpts from the show reports. He sent them to Steve too, along with the open letter that jhm posted above, but I guess Steve is off right now doing something more fun than we are, so I'll pass them on:

Robert Harley, editor of The Absolute Sound magazine----

Best Sound (for the money)

The new Magnepan .7 sounded absolutely amazing, and will cost just $1300 when it’s launched later this year. The .7’s bottom end can be augmented with Magnepan’s outstanding and unobtrusive bass panels, as it was in the demo.

Enjoy the Music.com's Best Value Award @ T.H.E. Show 2014 would go to Magnepan for their .7 speakers (~$1200 per pair) that keep the planar love alive yet at prices real people can afford. Having reviewed their speakers and knowing their 'family sound', the .7 should be a resounding success for the company. Bravo Magnepan!

Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound--

Best Sound (for the money)

I’m smitten. The quintessential mighty mite Raidho X-1 is a little sweetheart of a loudspeaker that melds with smaller spaces with the tenacity of a fly strip. On its heels is the Magnepan .7– perhaps the planar buy of the year.

Marc Mickelson, editor The Audio Beat--

A very impressive debut for a budget-priced speaker that exuded refinement and class.

I guess I should also mention that Wendell addressed the recent controversies in the Asylum. Here's what he wrote:

John Atkinson has posted my open letter and he and I agree there is no ill will between Magnepan and Stereophile. I hope this puts an end to that issue.

Regarding the use of the scrim cloth at the Newport show, a very high priority of the show was the poll to help with a decision to be made about the modern styling options we are considering for the new .7. The scrim cloth provided a way to hide the clutter for a clean backdrop to view the two cosmetic versions of the .7s. There was no intent to deceive anyone. We did clarify that the Bass Panels and a center channel were in use, but didn't always remember. In hindsight, we should have found a more reliable way, but it never occurred to me that it would be viewed as disception since we have used a center channel at shows for years.

We have used a center channel speaker because we found it came closer to simulating the experience of the one person sitting in the sweet spot. The .7 is a scaled-down version of the 1.7. An A-B test at your nearest dealer will be the best way to really know what the .7 has to offer. (What can possibly be learned in a hotel room with so many unknowns and a room full of people?)

I am on a business trip from May 29th-June 23rd. I asked Josh to post this for me. No slight intended toward the Inmates, but I am not keeping up with my work. If any of you wish more correspondence, I welcome you to call me. I find that a personal conversation is much more informative than emails in chat rooms.

Wendell Diller
Magnepan

SteveFord · « **Reply #13 on:** 8 Jun 2014, 11:38 pm »

Josh beat me to it.
I've been away a lot as I'm in the process of moving (new woman, new house, same job) but the .7s do sound like they're something quite special and will really slot in nicely between the MMG and 1.7.
We're getting an awful lot of choices these days which is a good thing.

josh358 · « **Reply #14 on:** 9 Jun 2014, 08:15 pm »

Well that's exciting. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate.

I think this could be a real boon to people with small rooms. Maybe next up a small true ribbon model for those with more dough than WAF?

jhm731 · « **Reply #15 on:** 9 Jun 2014, 08:25 pm »

"Best Sound (for the money): At $1300/pr, the Magneplanar .7 was quite astonishing."

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-show-newport-analog/

Robin Hood · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 Jun 2014, 09:05 pm »

Quote from: josh358 on 9 Jun 2014, 08:15 pm

I think this could be a real boon to people with small rooms. Maybe next up a small true ribbon model for those with more dough than WAF?

We can only hope. I am quite pleased with my Mini Maggies and a larger Maggie between the Mini and 3.7i would be perfect.

brooklyn · « **Reply #17 on:** 9 Aug 2014, 04:04 pm »

I just checked the Magnepan web site for the .7’s…. still nothing.
Does anyone have any additional info at this time?

SteveFord · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 02:08 pm »

Per Mr. Diller, perhaps everything will be finalized by October so start saving your pennies.

brooklyn · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 Aug 2014, 04:44 pm »

Thanks for the info Steve, I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas..