VR33 vs Magnepan 1.7

Jimbo912 · « **on:** 26 Sep 2015, 01:10 pm »

I have owned the VR33s for a couple of years and I absolutely love them. I was just wondering how the Maggie 1.7 sound in comparison. Anyone with any insight or who has heard both for comparison ?

htradtk · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Sep 2015, 02:03 pm »

Never heard a Maggie speaker but I can assure you that the 33's will blow them away!

Henry

KLH007 · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Sep 2015, 05:16 pm »

I find Magneplanars don't pressurize a room or provide the impact I need for a drum kit to sound involving, Maggies also lack dynamic excitement and can sound subdued and polite and again less involving, the VR-33s don't have those limitations and are easier on amp requirements, vote VR33.

mdconnelly · « **Reply #3 on:** 26 Sep 2015, 06:10 pm »

I've got the VR35s and have heard the Maggies. Personally, I do like the Maggies and if you haven't heard them, you should. But definitely a different sound from the VR33s.

IMO, the VR33/35 have a couple edges...

1) VR33s will more easily adapt to most any room. The Maggies will suffer if near any wall. They need space.

2) The Maggies will likely NOT provide the bass depth & definition as the VR33s can.

Of course, it's all dependent upon your ears, your room, and your other components.

groovy.guru · « **Reply #4 on:** 26 Sep 2015, 06:17 pm »

I own VSA db99's and they are the most dynamic and exciting speakers I have owned. I feel that the search for the perfect speaker for my tastes is finally over. I also owned a pair of Magnepan IIIa's for a few years. Given that background, I have to disagree that Maggies lack dynamics and are subdued and polite.

The first time I heard Maggies was around 10-15 years ago. I walked into Jeff's Sound Values in San Diego and thought I was hearing a guy practicing on the drums in a back room. It sounded incredibly real. It turns out that they were modifying a pair of Maggies and were testing them out with a cd test track. That was when I got really hooked on the high end sound.

I tried several planar and e-stat speakers since that occassion, but could not get satisfactory sound in my small-ish listening room. The Maggies were dynamic and exciting enough, but the drivers did not integrate well, perhaps because of my room. I always felt I was listening to the tweeter over the planar bass panel.

That is an area where VSA might have the advantage. I feel my db99's are very coherent from top to bottom, with none of the sound spectrum drawing attention to itself over the others. Perhaps the VR33's are the same way. That said, the 1.7's very well may be a more coherent speaker than my IIIa's.

The db99 is a different animal than the VR33's, but perhaps there is a common VSA house sound. If that is true, I would not hesitate to bring the VR33's home for an audition.

The db99 is more dynamic and exciting than the Maggies I owned, make no mistake about it, but the Maggies were no slouch given the correct amplification. I should add that in addition to the need for power, Maggies need to be played louder to really get them to sing. My Von Schweikerts are much better for listening at low and moderate volume levels. Better low level detail, better sense of dynamics when the volume is below 80db, etc.

I know this is not a direct comparison of the VR33's and Maggie 1.7's, but hope it helps in some way. The best thing as we all know is to try and listen for yourself if at all possible.

groovy.guru · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 Sep 2015, 07:34 pm »

Another thing I really like about my VSA speakers:

With my VSA's, I feel I can sit anywhere on my couch and get great imaging and soundstaging. I don't have to sit in the middle if I don't want, although the middle is still the best position. With my Maggies, if I moved to the left or right, the tweeters would become more prominent, my attention would be drawn to them.

Plus, the VSA's are much less visually imposing. My wife called the Maggie's the Abominable Snowman.

JackD201 · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 01:46 am »

I concur about the room and ancillary matching. I had 1.6 QRs and in the first room I had them in they were terrible. That led me down the VSA path as these were replaced (in that room) with my very first VSA speakers, VR-4 Gen III HSEs. In the room I set up the 1.6QRs next, hold on to your hats, they were magnificent. No they didn't go low, no they couldn't play very loud even with 200wpc of Levinson 300 series muscle behind them but what they did, they did well. Wonderful sense of envelopment with gobs of texture.

I think this is an apples to oranges comparison really and personal circumstances, habits and preferences should be at the fore. Not knowing these about the OP, I can't make any definitive recommendation. What they do both share is excellent value because I believe both the 33 and the 1.7s are exemplary products even without taking price into consideration.

SundayNiagara · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 12:57 pm »

The Maggies are great speakers. Thousands of pairs sold around the world.

geowak · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 04:42 pm »

I tend to agree- these are two different speakers for two different tastes. That's the one thing I have learned about loudspeakers. One can really match speakers well to his/her musical or audiophile tastes. Of course If you have the money you can have many different kinds of speakers. I might buy Magico or the 3.7's.......

es347 · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 06:08 pm »

Quote from: geowak on 27 Sep 2015, 04:42 pm

I tend to agree- these are two different speakers for two different tastes. That's the one thing I have learned about loudspeakers. One can really match speakers well to his/her musical or audiophile tastes. Of course If you have the money you can have many different kinds of speakers. I might buy Magico or the 3.7's.......

..and I might not

Austin08 · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 07:42 pm »

Quote from: htradtk on 26 Sep 2015, 02:03 pm

Never heard a Maggie speaker but I can assure you that the 33's will blow them away!

Henry

May or may not true. It is a bold statement since you haven't heard any Maggies.

SundayNiagara · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 10:18 pm »

Quote from: Austin08 on 27 Sep 2015, 07:42 pm

May or may not true. It is a bold statement since you haven't heard any Maggies.

Post of the day.

sunnydaze · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 10:42 pm »

I'd change the word " bold'' to '' ridiculous''.

es347 · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Sep 2015, 10:59 pm »

Quote from: sunnydaze on 27 Sep 2015, 10:42 pm

I'd change the word " bold'' to '' ridiculous''.

..tell us why it's ridiculous..

htradtk · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 12:33 am »

Austin08,

Very true!! Before I owned my VR-5 Anniversary (now MKII), I had a pair of Martin
Logan Oddessey stators. Great speaker indeed! ML and the Maggie's are very similar, great American made company's. Until I heard the Von Schweikert's, bass and soundstage surpassed the ML's and I'm sure the Maggie's as well!

Henry

sunnydaze · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 12:52 am »

Quote from: es347 on 27 Sep 2015, 10:59 pm

..tell us why it's ridiculous..

I think it's quite obvious to anyone with a trace of gray matter, so I'm not gonna waste my time explaining it to a troll.

maxima95 · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 12:56 am »

Quote from: htradtk on 28 Sep 2015, 12:33 am

Austin08,

Very true!! Before I owned my VR-5 Anniversary (now MKII), I had a pair of Martin
Logan Oddessey stators. Great speaker indeed! ML and the Maggie's are very similar, great American made company's. Until I heard the Von Schweikert's, bass and soundstage surpassed the ML's and I'm sure the Maggie's as well!

Henry

The OP asked about the VR-33 and Magnepan 1.7, and anyone with any insight or who has heard both for comparison.

You do not offer any constructive insight on or experience with the VR-33 and/or Magnepan 1.7.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 01:05 am »

To the OP, I wonder what you love about your current speakers? What do you wonder about trying to improve?

Could simply be something else that can return the magic to your ears.

Lots here have heard a few speakers, but without understanding your perspective it might tough to help get you down a good path for you.

Austin08 · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 01:22 am »

Quote from: htradtk on 28 Sep 2015, 12:33 am

Austin08,

Very true!! Before I owned my VR-5 Anniversary (now MKII), I had a pair of Martin
Logan Oddessey stators. Great speaker indeed! ML and the Maggie's are very similar, great American made company's. Until I heard the Von Schweikert's, bass and soundstage surpassed the ML's and I'm sure the Maggie's as well!

Henry

Imo, when it comes to speaker, it is a matter of personal reference. It is great that you have found a pair of VR speakers that you can fall in love with. I believe VR speaker is a great brand and is a few speaker brand that got my respected (I have listened to several VR model from time to time). On the other hand, I happen to own a pair of MG 3.7i along with my Salksound Sounscape 8. I am not here to defend for Maggie because both speaker represent two completely different house sound.

Sometime, "bass and soundstage" is not a deal breaker to few people.

Back to the topic.

JackD201 · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 Sep 2015, 08:10 am »

Quote from: Austin08 on 28 Sep 2015, 01:22 am

Imo, when it comes to speaker, it is a matter of personal reference. It is great that you have found a pair of VR speakers that you can fall in love with. I believe VR speaker is a great brand and is a few speaker brand that got my respected (I have listened to several VR model from time to time). On the other hand, I happen to own a pair of MG 3.7i along with my Salksound Sounscape 8. I am not here to defend for Maggie because both speaker represent two completely different house sound.

Sometime, "bass and soundstage" is not a deal breaker to few people.

Back to the topic.

A good buddy uses Maggies and his soundstage is one of the best I've heard. Period. Like I've already said, the only problem is that maybe more work needs to be done to reach the full potential of dipoles as opposed to point sources. That said, as my dad always told me, nothing worth doing is easy. The point is that the potential is there, it's just waiting to be unlocked. At the time of my unboxing I remember seeing the supplied resistors for the tweeters and thinking, this is a company that thinks about its customers needs. While I have moved on from Maggies, because yes high levels of dynamics is very important to me, having had gotten a good measure of Maggie potential on my own, my respect remains very high.

This I can say. Set up right, both brands throw panoramic stages and that's a major reason I like these two brands. Diorama presentations are a personal pet peeve.