I heard the 3.7i at a High End Audio Shop, in a well set-up system, in San Francisco several months ago. The system included one or two high quality subs, I can't remember exactly how many. Let me tell you, in all my over 30 years in high end audio, this was one of the very best sounding systems I had ever heard. I was absolutely blown away by what I heard coming from this system!!! If I had the room for the 3.7i, I would purchase and then just be done with it.
Hi Ken, I'm revisiting this video, it just showed up in my que so I'm running it again mostly because I've been living with the 3.7i's since 2018 and previous to that, for decades, I was running the MGIIIa's - for me, and this is just an opinion, maggies will work in a smaller room - of course I played with mine back in the 80's starting with the largest room in my house - sort of an odd thing started to happen in my life, I was having to work so many hours that I was unable to listen as often as I like - finally I moved the IIIa's to my bedroom knowing full well they wouldn't sing in a room that's only somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 X 12 - and I thought that because EVERYONE thought that - - my reference system has remained in my bedroom since, I run it whenever I want, often as I'm dozing off, so cool, actually it's fantastic, to have top end music right in my own bedroom - - the idea that big speakers don't generally work in a small room is most definitely over played, mostly by those that have never done it - - my soundstage is massive, the bass is awesome and coherent, although yes, there was some combing that by adding a "bed seat" (one of those cushions with a back on it, moving maybe 14 or 18 inches closer to the speakers) cured, for whatever reason there is very little or no combing or noticeable resonances at the listening position - recently Chris B. the speaker engineer at PS Audio made that same comment - it's not so much the size of the drivers it's how the room interacts with whatever frequencies. I'm still amazed to this very day with the impression of being able to stand up on my bed, walk off the end of it and be floating in a space of very dimensional music. Ya, we're talking a system where every component and cable is considered reference - but my point being that I get the idea that many listeners dismiss the idea of a maggie in a smallish room - at least in my case, it would have been the mistake of a lifetime to have never tried my system in my bedroom - I've never ever looked back. btw, I'm running a set of 12" REL's that I've played with for a very long time - I've found that running the crossover higher than one would expect along with matching volume causes them to disappear, the system is very coherent - and here comes Wendell with that same philosophy in those wide frequency range maggie subs he's been running around showing off - which sort of reaffirmed that idea to be a good one - like if a person runs the crossover down, it's fairly obvious when the subs are kicking in, not good, nice but not coherent - so if ya mess with subs (took me a couple of years), try the crossovers up higher and match the output as closely as possible - - the maggies don't use steep crossover points to begin with so a bit of blending with the bass panels seems to work - at least for me in a small room. Sorry I babbled away, I sort of used your comment as a platform to express my experience with a smaller room - happy listening. ( :
I had the pleasure of meeting these 3 lads! After my daughter's wedding back home we stopped at the store and got a tour and listen to all the rooms. It was fantastic to say the least, a high point of our trip honestly! And yes Vilip, I got tidal to go through the nxs naim streamer we picked up there when I got home! Huge improvement thank you! Most cordial audio gang you could run into! Cheers!
I picked up a second hand set of 3.7i a few weeks ago!They replaced the MG III model I used for many years!My jaw hit the floor!Blew me away how much better they are!They really are incredible I would recommend them !
IMO - Maggies are all way better than anything in their respective price points. I heard the 30.7s in New Haven about three years ago with Simaudio separates and an Aurender server that was the best speaker I've ever heard.
I love the Magnepan 3.7i speakers for their realism - they just pull you into the performance. Since they are not the most efficient speakers in the world (86 db sensitivity) one needs to pair them with the right kind of amplifier as was already noted by the reviewers. While not inexpensive, I would agree that for the price you would have to pay thousands of dollars more to get comparable sound from a box speaker. Given the price point of these speakers, Magnepan has had to make certain compromises in terms of quality of certain components e.g., binding posts, stands, fuses, etc.. However, there are several aftermarket upgrade options that a Magnepan owner can explore. I have made following upgrades to my speakers: - replaced the attenuator jumpers with Cardas wire jumpers - replaced the standard fuses with audiophile fuses (there are some in the Magnepan community that believe no fuse is better i.e., replacing the fuse with a solid metal conductor - I would approach this one at your own risk. - replaced stands with Mye stands. - replaced spikes on Mye stands with IsoAcoustic Gaia II feet - Added a pair of subwoofers to improve bass extension. I’m driving my 3.7i speakers with a Musical Fidelity NuVista 800 amplifier with Morrow Anniversary Edition speaker cables. The sound is exquisite.
I often regret not stepping up to the 3.7i when I bought my 1.7i 6 years ago. The prices were much closer as well. But WAF was part of it. Slightly smaller and less visual with the black cloth and aluminum side trim. Unfortunately, once she heard even the 1,7i she said that would have made the difference. Suddenly the trade off was more acceptable because of just how good they sounded. Interestingly they were replacing her original JBL L82. But the negative I was waiting for, only slightly mentioned, was power hunger! Not just a good sounding amp. But one that can dump some current into them!
I have the 3.7i's and have been messing with Magnepans since the middle 80's, just before Covid took over, I heard the latest version of the 30.7's during one of Wendell's demos and stayed through all 3 of the sessions he offered - - for me, beside all the usual maggie stuff (especially the scaled up sound stage and imaging) the coherency of this speaker is truly amazing - - there is no sense of "tweeter" or "midrange" sound as individual drivers - - even listening to a pair of Wilsons costing more than 3X the price, I came away with the same impression - once you've experienced their coherency, any lack of it in other speakers is immediately apparent. I've mentioned it before but imho, they take a stupid long time to sound their best - - more like a few months than hours or weeks.
Congratulations guys, on another great video. Wonderful stuff. Audioconnection in Verona New Jersey USA loves the Magnepan 3.7i with similar gear Hegal 390 has become a value favorite ,even if your over budget please pop in make sure you grab a listen which may set a life changing goal. JohnnyR
I have had a pretty wide assortment of speakers over the years. Maggies, Acoustats, Thiels etc... The one my wife hated the most was the CLS. I always thought they were beautiful in sight and sound.
During the last 17 years I’ve owned several great speakers like the B&W 803 D, Dynaudio Confidemce C1 and C2. Last spring I bought a brand-new pair of Maggies 3.7i, they just blow my mind every day ! I drive them with my Dan D’agostino Progression integrated (400W@4ohm) but I’m still wondering if a change to the Pass Labs X350.8 (700W@4ohm) would give me even more “juice” out of this amazing speakers, specially more ease and bass-authority 🤔 my treated listening-room measures 12x22. VILIP if you read this comment please assess me 🙏 thank you so much ! Best regards
I tried the original LRS. Sent them back and bought the 1.7i The little LRS impressed me enough to make the leap of faith. For me, the 1.7i are all I need. If I had $20k I wanted to blow, the 3.7i would get a look (with a new amplifier), but I don't think my room is big enough. The 1.7i are already a stretch.
I have owned some version of Magnepan for nearly 40 years. I have owned 3.5r for about 10 years, had been eyeing the 3.7r (for reference building / listening purpose) While I find it OCD'esk, I occasionally check my fuses, just to see I do not have higher than spec fuses, because they never pop, in spite of how loud I can play them. I have been designing and building Maggie specific Exicon Dual die latFET amps, with humongous power supplies and enormous output capabilities where it would be / is difficult to clip the amps in normal use. I am a PROPONENT OF BIG AMPS WITH MAGGIES. *4-500 watts per channel.
Magnepan is an outstanding set of speakers. I have not heard the 3.7i, but I have heard the 1.7i and found them to sound pretty good. I owned Magnepan 1.6s in the past and I absolutely loved them. I got rid of my 1.6s and it was a decision that I regretted dearly. I have gone the Vandersteen route with the 2 series and the Quatro Series and all I can say is that there is just something about a Magnepan that other speakers don't have. I truly believe that to truly bring out what a Maggie has to offer, you need a sub and preferably two that are incredibly fast enough to keep up with the Magnepans. I currently own Klipsch R3s with a sub, preferable by the wife, but I am eyeballing a pair of 1.7i, but the 3.7i's she is not having.
Nobody likes the terminals except Wendell. They are made of steel and they are magnetic. That's what you find in budget speakers. They should be non magnetic. Also the sand cast resistor is not made for audio use. I believe the crossover involves iron core inductors. That's also for budget speakers. So there are potential improvements that could make these speakers even better
I am very anxious to hear these speakers. In the late 80's, I purchased a pair of MG IIIa's along with an S200 Threshold amp and a Threshold FET II preamp. The sound from those speakers was unlike anything I have ever heard before. Listening to Rachmaninov's Isle of the dead (London 410 124-2) is a true experience. Keep in mind that the Threshold amp is only 100 wpc, but obviously significant current to drive the maggies. I still own the Threshold equipment and sorry to say I sold the maggies when I got married and replaced with a pair of Paradigm Studio 100's V.3. Sound is very decent, but nothing compared to the emotion conveyed by the MG III's. Hoping that the 3.7i takes it to the next level beyond the MGIIIa. Boy am I sorry I sold them.
I bought a pair of 3.7is about a year ago, I went to the store to audition 1.7i and 3.7i, wife said she wanted the 3.7is. I couldn't say no! I'm driving them with a NAD M33 integrated amp and the sound is great. I do have a VMPS sub I've owned for 40 years, but I cross it over at 40 Hz and there's not much music down that low so it's not really neccessary. A neighbor has Wilson Alexxias driven by D'Agostino amps and he said shit, your system sounds better than mine! A big part of it is that his room sucks, his wife makes him put them dead up against the wall in the corner. I have mine 6 feet away from the walls and diffusion panels on the wall which makes a huge difference. PS Dirac live on M33 is awesome too.
Son has 3.6s in a small apartment and we had 1.7s in our living room. We now have Revel 228BEs He doesn't care that they are way too big for the apartment. My wife was not a fan of the 1.7s size/look and when I wanted to move up to 3.6s...Nope. (She did love our original 1980 Magnapans) The Revel's have a great sound, but I still lust after Magapans.
Instead of the bus bars, Cardas makes a set of very short cable jumpers with banana plugs and synergistic research purple fuses. these two tweaks definitely improved the top end.
I do love my MGs 1.4. Got them used in great technical shape for around 350 bucks. 😂 I sewed a pair of new socks in royal blue for them. They sound amazing with my PS Audio Stellar S300 in a tube hybrid configuration. Unfortunately they won't sing with my beloved EL34 SE tube amp and they are very room dependent.
I've been intrigued by the 1.7i step up but I'm actually more excited to hear the LRS+ vs. LRS comparison. For me the point of diminishing marginal returns starts at the LRS or very low price point for maggies. I heard the 1.7i at a local dealer but their room had $40k of room treatments which mine does not and their room was twice as big. I'm waiting for LRS+ or considering a Spatial Audio labs M4 sapphire in it's place for my upgrade path.
Except for an old pair of Tympani IIis, every Magneplanar I have heard made me wonder if they were running off the high pass output of a subwoofer I couldn't find. Just no bass at all - including a factory demo of a pair of 30.7s.
Hi Adrian, I am surprised to hear you say that these Maggies do not play rock or reggae. My Maggie 1.4s from the early 90s, driven by my Classe 70 high current power amp (75 watt per channel), play Queen, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, the Eagles, Steely Dan, Bob Marley without any issues. The same can be said for jazz ,R&B,orchestral. Okay, bass doesn't hit me in the chest but still very good and there's no need for a subwoofer. These speakers really improved quite a bit after a couple of months from new. Perhaps the 3.7i still needs more run in time to show off its best.
Wife/girlfriend/partner not liking a Martin Logan CLS - single & sufficient reason to go separate ways ! (if we would be talking about Wilson Puppies etc, that would be another story ...)
I’m definitely not Jamaican, but HUGE in to dub and reggae. If only a towering sound system was practical in my condo… Even with subs, my Martin Logan ESLs can’t deliver the authentic beee-ass experience.
I don't understand the dislike of the connectors on the Maggies. Just strip the wire, insert the bare end and tighten down. It's a nice solid connection. Or if you want insert a 4 mm banana plug.
I've been warned by a few Maggie lovers, although some disagree, that my room is likely TOO big for 1.7i or even the 3.7i. My space is 26 x 22 x 15 ft high. Centered on the long wall, I can bring them about 3 ft into the room, as close or far apart as I like, with me sitting anywhere from 6 to 10 ft away. That listening triangle sits on a shag rug in the middle of the room, about 8 ft of open space to the left, 10 ft to the right, and 9 ft above. My question is: will the Maggies sound ok in here? Or will the relative absence of boundary enclosures stop the speakers from loading the room properly? Anybody know?
Yes, the Magnepan true ribbon tweeters are wonderful. Owned a pair a long time ago when Magnepan was experimenting with putting them in less expensive models. Curious that you did not compare the 3.7 to the 20.7 , the latter being one of the two premier models from Magnepan.
I own 3.6 R’s which are identical in size and look and I think they’re beautiful. Then again, I’m divorced. My biggest limiting factor is the source material. The Maggie’s are so revealing that they will expose all of the good and all of the bad so be prepared.
Do you guys think that there is enough of an improvement between Maggie 20.1s and 20.7s to justify the upgrade? I run mine with (I think) plenty of power. I have two MC402s running in mono mode powering the speakers. Would appreciate your opinion.
What do you guys think about break in? I have my 3.7i's for one week now playing 2 to 3 hours a day. The info I can find on the internet is very contradictive regarding break in. People calling break in bullocks and people saying break in takes up to 300+hours. Since you guys are very familiar with magnepan I was wondering what your take is regarding breaking in magnepans. Best regards, Joost
I have many sets, including the Tympani I without subs these speakers are absolutely not worth the space they take. I never ever , managed to get the dynamics out of them without a good array of subs to accomplish it. Cone is just inherently better at producing low end. I never understood, the prima Donna stand of magnepan as a company. to not offer atleast a good matching pair of dipole subs, or hybrids.. what Maggie owners perceive as clean low end is not even real low end. You cannot pretend a piece of mylar sheet can produce the proper dynamics. It's my biggest gripe with them, in terms of midrange and sound field capabilities (instrumental seperation, layering what have you not) is really where they surpass many systems not using any form of planar or ribbon drivers.
I dreamt of the Magnepan 3.6 when they were $6K ages ago. Now the 3.7 is $8K. It just gets further away from my reach. I’ve owned several Magnepans over the years and recently “downgraded” to the smaller LRS. Someday.
Magnepan dealer Audio Connection Verona NJ USA We Re getting fantastic performance With a 5995 Hegel 390. ,*Bryston 4B *1495 NAD *Audio Research *Belles Virtuoso *Rogue Pharo and *Aesthetix +
Hi guy's i realy enjoy your vidéo and I was wondering why not include background music from equipment which are already in place after all it's all about sound :)
I now live no longer worrying about wife approval. Her distortion and lack of depth was annoying, no matter what level I played my music. The constant blaring sound from one speaker was unbelievable so I had to get rid of it. Sounded very nice for many years but then there got to be a very nagging disfunction. Very expensive to return to the sales department and no warranty honoured. I'm not even going to worry about trade-ups. In the end it'll cost you a fortune and you'll still be unsatisfied.
@@adrianlow2114 They did offer a highly blemished model for cheap but the highs were too weak, the lows too tubby and, as well, a promise of not being very tight in the lower octave. The mids were pretty bloated as well. I left the counter thinking "there's a sinking feeling and there's no way I'm going to get into this cabinet".
I guess I’m “lucky” in that department. My wife LOVES big speakers. She loved my Tekton Encores (believe it or not) and loves the 3.7s. Why? Because she had never heard true audiophile sound reproduction until she found me and she’s the biggest music fan. Bliss…
@@CarlVanDoren61 had the 3.5R. Used them with two bridged adcom 555mk11. Used them for one week. Sold the 3.5R, center Chanel and both Adcom. Bought two Focal 1027 Be. That was in 2009! Still enjoy my Focal. Magnepans are not what I liked, they literally suck.
They’re amazing speakers. The resolution and beauty you’d have to spend a LOT more for a comparable experience. Just have a nice sub array. I’ve had many loudspeakers over the decades and what they do are so satisfying. You are welcome to your opinion but if you consider them the worst you need to check your ears! Lol
I heard the 3.7i at a High End Audio Shop, in a well set-up system, in San Francisco several months ago. The system included one or two high quality subs, I can't remember exactly how many. Let me tell you, in all my over 30 years in high end audio, this was one of the very best sounding systems I had ever heard. I was absolutely blown away by what I heard coming from this system!!! If I had the room for the 3.7i, I would purchase and then just be done with it.
Hi Ken, I'm revisiting this video, it just showed up in my que so I'm running it again mostly because I've been living with the 3.7i's since 2018 and previous to that, for decades, I was running the MGIIIa's - for me, and this is just an opinion, maggies will work in a smaller room - of course I played with mine back in the 80's starting with the largest room in my house - sort of an odd thing started to happen in my life, I was having to work so many hours that I was unable to listen as often as I like - finally I moved the IIIa's to my bedroom knowing full well they wouldn't sing in a room that's only somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 X 12 - and I thought that because EVERYONE thought that - - my reference system has remained in my bedroom since, I run it whenever I want, often as I'm dozing off, so cool, actually it's fantastic, to have top end music right in my own bedroom - - the idea that big speakers don't generally work in a small room is most definitely over played, mostly by those that have never done it - - my soundstage is massive, the bass is awesome and coherent, although yes, there was some combing that by adding a "bed seat" (one of those cushions with a back on it, moving maybe 14 or 18 inches closer to the speakers) cured, for whatever reason there is very little or no combing or noticeable resonances at the listening position - recently Chris B. the speaker engineer at PS Audio made that same comment - it's not so much the size of the drivers it's how the room interacts with whatever frequencies. I'm still amazed to this very day with the impression of being able to stand up on my bed, walk off the end of it and be floating in a space of very dimensional music. Ya, we're talking a system where every component and cable is considered reference - but my point being that I get the idea that many listeners dismiss the idea of a maggie in a smallish room - at least in my case, it would have been the mistake of a lifetime to have never tried my system in my bedroom - I've never ever looked back. btw, I'm running a set of 12" REL's that I've played with for a very long time - I've found that running the crossover higher than one would expect along with matching volume causes them to disappear, the system is very coherent - and here comes Wendell with that same philosophy in those wide frequency range maggie subs he's been running around showing off - which sort of reaffirmed that idea to be a good one - like if a person runs the crossover down, it's fairly obvious when the subs are kicking in, not good, nice but not coherent - so if ya mess with subs (took me a couple of years), try the crossovers up higher and match the output as closely as possible - - the maggies don't use steep crossover points to begin with so a bit of blending with the bass panels seems to work - at least for me in a small room. Sorry I babbled away, I sort of used your comment as a platform to express my experience with a smaller room - happy listening. ( :
I had the pleasure of meeting these 3 lads! After my daughter's wedding back home we stopped at the store and got a tour and listen to all the rooms. It was fantastic to say the least, a high point of our trip honestly!
And yes Vilip, I got tidal to go through the nxs naim streamer we picked up there when I got home! Huge improvement thank you!
Most cordial audio gang you could run into! Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words Mike!
I picked up a second hand set of 3.7i a few weeks ago!They replaced the MG III model I used for many years!My jaw hit the floor!Blew me away how much better they are!They really are incredible I would recommend them !
IMO - Maggies are all way better than anything in their respective price points. I heard the 30.7s in New Haven about three years ago with Simaudio separates and an Aurender server that was the best speaker I've ever heard.
I love the Magnepan 3.7i speakers for their realism - they just pull you into the performance. Since they are not the most efficient speakers in the world (86 db sensitivity) one needs to pair them with the right kind of amplifier as was already noted by the reviewers. While not inexpensive, I would agree that for the price you would have to pay thousands of dollars more to get comparable sound from a box speaker. Given the price point of these speakers, Magnepan has had to make certain compromises in terms of quality of certain components e.g., binding posts, stands, fuses, etc.. However, there are several aftermarket upgrade options that a Magnepan owner can explore. I have made following upgrades to my speakers:
- replaced the attenuator jumpers with Cardas wire jumpers
- replaced the standard fuses with audiophile fuses (there are some in the Magnepan community that believe no fuse is better i.e., replacing the fuse with a solid metal conductor - I would approach this one at your own risk.
- replaced stands with Mye stands.
- replaced spikes on Mye stands with IsoAcoustic Gaia II feet
- Added a pair of subwoofers to improve bass extension.
I’m driving my 3.7i speakers with a Musical Fidelity NuVista 800 amplifier with Morrow Anniversary Edition speaker cables. The sound is exquisite.
I often regret not stepping up to the 3.7i when I bought my 1.7i 6 years ago. The prices were much closer as well. But WAF was part of it. Slightly smaller and less visual with the black cloth and aluminum side trim. Unfortunately, once she heard even the 1,7i she said that would have made the difference. Suddenly the trade off was more acceptable because of just how good they sounded. Interestingly they were replacing her original JBL L82.
But the negative I was waiting for, only slightly mentioned, was power hunger! Not just a good sounding amp. But one that can dump some current into them!
I have the 3.7i's and have been messing with Magnepans since the middle 80's, just before Covid took over, I heard the latest version of the 30.7's during one of Wendell's demos and stayed through all 3 of the sessions he offered - - for me, beside all the usual maggie stuff (especially the scaled up sound stage and imaging) the coherency of this speaker is truly amazing - - there is no sense of "tweeter" or "midrange" sound as individual drivers - - even listening to a pair of Wilsons costing more than 3X the price, I came away with the same impression - once you've experienced their coherency, any lack of it in other speakers is immediately apparent. I've mentioned it before but imho, they take a stupid long time to sound their best - - more like a few months than hours or weeks.
Congratulations guys, on another great video. Wonderful stuff. Audioconnection in Verona New Jersey USA loves the Magnepan 3.7i with similar gear Hegal 390 has become a value favorite ,even if your over budget please pop in make sure you grab a listen which may set a life changing goal. JohnnyR
Whoever puts the comments in the videos does a great job. Hilarious stuff.
That's Alex H!
I have had a pretty wide assortment of speakers over the years. Maggies, Acoustats, Thiels etc... The one my wife hated the most was the CLS. I always thought they were beautiful in sight and sound.
During the last 17 years I’ve owned several great speakers like the B&W 803 D, Dynaudio Confidemce C1 and C2. Last spring I bought a brand-new pair of Maggies 3.7i, they just blow my mind every day ! I drive them with my Dan D’agostino Progression integrated (400W@4ohm) but I’m still wondering if a change to the Pass Labs X350.8 (700W@4ohm) would give me even more “juice” out of this amazing speakers, specially more ease and bass-authority 🤔 my treated listening-room measures 12x22.
VILIP if you read this comment please assess me 🙏 thank you so much !
Best regards
I tried the original LRS. Sent them back and bought the 1.7i
The little LRS impressed me enough to make the leap of faith. For me, the 1.7i are all I need.
If I had $20k I wanted to blow, the 3.7i would get a look (with a new amplifier), but I don't think my room is big enough. The 1.7i are already a stretch.
Looks like I'm headed back to the store to hear what they sound like with a tweeter connected!! 🤣🤣
lol
my Maggies 3.7i is driven by the Big Mac mc462 and c2700 pre-amp using a Aurender streamer. wowww! no complaint!! LOVE IT
I have owned some version of Magnepan for nearly 40 years. I have owned 3.5r for about 10 years, had been eyeing the 3.7r (for reference building / listening purpose) While I find it OCD'esk, I occasionally check my fuses, just to see I do not have higher than spec fuses, because they never pop, in spite of how loud I can play them. I have been designing and building Maggie specific Exicon Dual die latFET amps, with humongous power supplies and enormous output capabilities where it would be / is difficult to clip the amps in normal use. I am a PROPONENT OF BIG AMPS WITH MAGGIES. *4-500 watts per channel.
Love my 3.7i; thank you for your review, gentlemen.
They mention Vilip has JBL's speakers at one point but they show a pic of a Klipsch La Scalla, WTH?
Magnepan is an outstanding set of speakers. I have not heard the 3.7i, but I have heard the 1.7i and found them to sound pretty good. I owned Magnepan 1.6s in the past and I absolutely loved them. I got rid of my 1.6s and it was a decision that I regretted dearly. I have gone the Vandersteen route with the 2 series and the Quatro Series and all I can say is that there is just something about a Magnepan that other speakers don't have. I truly believe that to truly bring out what a Maggie has to offer, you need a sub and preferably two that are incredibly fast enough to keep up with the Magnepans. I currently own Klipsch R3s with a sub, preferable by the wife, but I am eyeballing a pair of 1.7i, but the 3.7i's she is not having.
Had the 1.7r and I always felt they needed a supertweeter above 12khz I would say I loved the sound of them .
Nobody likes the terminals except Wendell. They are made of steel and they are magnetic. That's what you find in budget speakers. They should be non magnetic. Also the sand cast resistor is not made for audio use. I believe the crossover involves iron core inductors. That's also for budget speakers. So there are potential improvements that could make these speakers even better
I am very anxious to hear these speakers. In the late 80's, I purchased a pair of MG IIIa's along with an S200 Threshold amp and a Threshold FET II preamp. The sound from those speakers was unlike anything I have ever heard before. Listening to Rachmaninov's Isle of the dead (London 410 124-2) is a true experience. Keep in mind that the Threshold amp is only 100 wpc, but obviously significant current to drive the maggies. I still own the Threshold equipment and sorry to say I sold the maggies when I got married and replaced with a pair of Paradigm Studio 100's V.3. Sound is very decent, but nothing compared to the emotion conveyed by the MG III's. Hoping that the 3.7i takes it to the next level beyond the MGIIIa. Boy am I sorry I sold them.
I bought a pair of 3.7is about a year ago, I went to the store to audition 1.7i and 3.7i, wife said she wanted the 3.7is. I couldn't say no! I'm driving them with a NAD M33 integrated amp and the sound is great. I do have a VMPS sub I've owned for 40 years, but I cross it over at 40 Hz and there's not much music down that low so it's not really neccessary. A neighbor has Wilson Alexxias driven by D'Agostino amps and he said shit, your system sounds better than mine! A big part of it is that his room sucks, his wife makes him put them dead up against the wall in the corner. I have mine 6 feet away from the walls and diffusion panels on the wall which makes a huge difference.
PS Dirac live on M33 is awesome too.
I was in Vegas 2 years ago, really regret I didn't pick up the 3.7i at $4999 for a showroom unit!😪
Son has 3.6s in a small apartment and we had 1.7s in our living room. We now have Revel 228BEs He doesn't care that they are way too big for the apartment. My wife was not a fan of the 1.7s size/look and when I wanted to move up to 3.6s...Nope. (She did love our original 1980 Magnapans) The Revel's have a great sound, but I still lust after Magapans.
Great review and perspective; love my 3.7i
Instead of the bus bars, Cardas makes a set of very short cable jumpers with banana plugs and synergistic research purple fuses. these two tweaks definitely improved the top end.
I do love my MGs 1.4. Got them used in great technical shape for around 350 bucks. 😂 I sewed a pair of new socks in royal blue for them. They sound amazing with my PS Audio Stellar S300 in a tube hybrid configuration. Unfortunately they won't sing with my beloved EL34 SE tube amp and they are very room dependent.
Very…
I've been intrigued by the 1.7i step up but I'm actually more excited to hear the LRS+ vs. LRS comparison. For me the point of diminishing marginal returns starts at the LRS or very low price point for maggies. I heard the 1.7i at a local dealer but their room had $40k of room treatments which mine does not and their room was twice as big. I'm waiting for LRS+ or considering a Spatial Audio labs M4 sapphire in it's place for my upgrade path.
Except for an old pair of Tympani IIis, every Magneplanar I have heard made me wonder if they were running off the high pass output of a subwoofer I couldn't find.
Just no bass at all - including a factory demo of a pair of 30.7s.
Hi Adrian, I am surprised to hear you say that these Maggies do not play rock or reggae. My Maggie 1.4s from the early 90s, driven by my Classe 70 high current power amp (75 watt per channel), play Queen, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, the Eagles, Steely Dan, Bob Marley without any issues. The same can be said for jazz ,R&B,orchestral. Okay, bass doesn't hit me in the chest but still very good and there's no need for a subwoofer. These speakers really improved quite a bit after a couple of months from new. Perhaps the 3.7i still needs more run in time to show off its best.
My wife is very open to equipment in my home. The truth is, most high end equipment really doesn't look that bad.
I met Alex yesterday and I thought he made a good impression on me but now that I see his Sponge Bob edit, I really like him a lot,
lol
I need to get a road trip to dork around at your store some time ;)
You're welcome to dork here any time…
Wife/girlfriend/partner not liking a Martin Logan CLS - single & sufficient reason to go separate ways !
(if we would be talking about Wilson Puppies etc, that would be another story ...)
Welcome fellow Jamaican audiophile. 🇯🇲
I’m definitely not Jamaican, but HUGE in to dub and reggae. If only a towering sound system was practical in my condo… Even with subs, my Martin Logan ESLs can’t deliver the authentic beee-ass experience.
@@BeefyMon I hear that. Everyone needs that rumbling bass every now-and-then.
When I see the title of the vid, I pause it and go right to the comments.
I love them.
if you want to have a magical sound, buy a magneplanar, connect them with a single ended amplifier and the magic is in the house
I don't understand the dislike of the connectors on the Maggies. Just strip the wire, insert the bare end and tighten down. It's a nice solid connection. Or if you want insert a 4 mm banana plug.
Maggies are the best.
Purchased my first pair of Maggie 1.6 QR from Adrian a long time ago. The 3.7i are next.
Hi George!
they would be super in a larger room with high ceilings
I've been warned by a few Maggie lovers, although some disagree, that my room is likely TOO big for 1.7i or even the 3.7i. My space is 26 x 22 x 15 ft high. Centered on the long wall, I can bring them about 3 ft into the room, as close or far apart as I like, with me sitting anywhere from 6 to 10 ft away. That listening triangle sits on a shag rug in the middle of the room, about 8 ft of open space to the left, 10 ft to the right, and 9 ft above. My question is: will the Maggies sound ok in here? Or will the relative absence of boundary enclosures stop the speakers from loading the room properly? Anybody know?
Great info about resistors or not!
Yes, the Magnepan true ribbon tweeters are wonderful. Owned a pair a long time ago when Magnepan was experimenting with putting them in less expensive models.
Curious that you did not compare the 3.7 to the 20.7 , the latter being one of the two premier models from Magnepan.
Only way too roll👍
Another great video
Thanks!
I own 3.6 R’s which are identical in size and look and I think they’re beautiful. Then again, I’m divorced.
My biggest limiting factor is the source material. The Maggie’s are so revealing that they will expose all of the good and all of the bad so be prepared.
Can you comment on how the peach tree gan400 sounded with them? I know class D is a divisive topic…especially with Maggie’s.
is Hegel 590 good enough for 3.7i?
Curious to know this as well...enough of a noticeable improvement from the H390 that was used?
Do you guys think that there is enough of an improvement between Maggie 20.1s and 20.7s to justify the upgrade? I run mine with (I think) plenty of power. I have two MC402s running in mono mode powering the speakers. Would appreciate your opinion.
Hello
Please tell me reliability
Magnepan 20.7?
Thank you
What do you guys think about break in? I have my 3.7i's for one week now playing 2 to 3 hours a day. The info I can find on the internet is very contradictive regarding break in. People calling break in bullocks and people saying break in takes up to 300+hours. Since you guys are very familiar with magnepan I was wondering what your take is regarding breaking in magnepans.
Best regards,
Joost
Aren’t the fuses supposed to protect the tweeter? Maggie owner since 1993. Mine still sound great driven by Aragon 8008BB!!!
Yes but fuses are not foolproof
I have many sets, including the Tympani I
without subs these speakers are absolutely not worth the space they take. I never ever , managed to get the dynamics out of them without a good array of subs to accomplish it.
Cone is just inherently better at producing low end. I never understood, the prima Donna stand of magnepan as a company. to not offer atleast a good matching pair of dipole subs, or hybrids..
what Maggie owners perceive as clean low end is not even real low end. You cannot pretend a piece of mylar sheet can produce the proper dynamics.
It's my biggest gripe with them, in terms of midrange and sound field capabilities (instrumental seperation, layering what have you not) is really where they surpass many systems not using any form of planar or ribbon drivers.
Probably sound good with Crown commercial ampss
Probably not… you could try… but most likely, not…
Ew
I dreamt of the Magnepan 3.6 when they were $6K ages ago. Now the 3.7 is $8K. It just gets further away from my reach. I’ve owned several Magnepans over the years and recently “downgraded” to the smaller LRS. Someday.
12.000€ my friend.
please recommend power amp for 3.7i mono or stereo under usd10,000 (Jazz, Pop music)
Run Son of Ampzilla II with 20.7s
@@CarlVanDoren61 thank you
I use NAD M33 integrated amp and I love it.
@@tommost1 thank you
Magnepan dealer Audio Connection Verona NJ USA
We Re getting fantastic performance
With a 5995 Hegel 390. ,*Bryston 4B
*1495 NAD *Audio Research *Belles Virtuoso *Rogue Pharo and *Aesthetix +
Hi guy's i realy enjoy your vidéo
and I was wondering why not include
background music from equipment
which are already in place
after all it's all about sound :)
Music is copyrighted, and UA-cam will demonetize the video. We match and donate all the funds we get from UA-cam to charity
My wife hates my Maggie....
I'm with Lewis...just too big for most homes.
Reign him in before you lose another one OK so
20.7s subs need not apply. 2KW toroidal amplifier required, 20amp ded line must have
Are there wife-approved reference speakers?
I now live no longer worrying about wife approval. Her distortion and lack of depth was annoying, no matter what level I played my music. The constant blaring sound from one speaker was unbelievable so I had to get rid of it. Sounded very nice for many years but then there got to be a very nagging disfunction. Very expensive to return to the sales department and no warranty honoured. I'm not even going to worry about trade-ups. In the end it'll cost you a fortune and you'll still be unsatisfied.
Its called no wife
@@mikeunsworth3266 lol!
Maggies, if you avoid the black socks and put something nicer looking on them (e.g. royal blue)! 😂
@@adrianlow2114 They did offer a highly blemished model for cheap but the highs were too weak, the lows too tubby and, as well, a promise of not being very tight in the lower octave. The mids were pretty bloated as well. I left the counter thinking "there's a sinking feeling and there's no way I'm going to get into this cabinet".
don't spend half your budget on speaks (Maggies)!
Let's face it fella's if you want anything bigger than a shoe box 📦 for speakers lose the wife or female partner !
For me i prefer size, if that`s what it takes for the most satisfying eargasms!
I guess I’m “lucky” in that department. My wife LOVES big speakers. She loved my Tekton Encores (believe it or not) and loves the 3.7s. Why? Because she had never heard true audiophile sound reproduction until she found me and she’s the biggest music fan. Bliss…
You can’t spell “bass”? Interrupt Louis….
Those are the worst speakers ever designed. No bass, huge, amp killers, extremely inefficient just buy something else.
@@CarlVanDoren61 had the 3.5R. Used them with two bridged adcom 555mk11. Used them for one week. Sold the 3.5R, center Chanel and both Adcom. Bought two Focal 1027 Be. That was in 2009! Still enjoy my Focal. Magnepans are not what I liked, they literally suck.
They’re amazing speakers. The resolution and beauty you’d have to spend a LOT more for a comparable experience. Just have a nice sub array. I’ve had many loudspeakers over the decades and what they do are so satisfying. You are welcome to your opinion but if you consider them the worst you need to check your ears! Lol