A note from Magnepan about the "30.7 for Condos" tour


Wendell Diller of Magnepan asked me to pass this on:


No, Magnepan's tour is not scientific market research

Dear Press and Future Attendee,

Last night, I had the privilege to talk to Robert Deutsch of Stereophile at the "30.7 for Condos" event at Audio Excellence in Toronto. Robert was there to report on the concept of a public focus group (not on the speaker we were showing). As Robert noted, there has been a lot of research on the value of focus groups. Is a public focus group more effective? (good question)

Toronto was only the second stop on this tour, but it already has the same shortcoming as the 30.7 tour in terms of reliable feedback for Magnepan--- low participation. Attendees on all the 30.7 tours were very vocal about their opinions of the 30.7, but when it came to making their opinion public, approximately 1 out of 20 attendees (or less) went online to give Magnepan feedback. This tour is much the same.

There is one obvious question on the minds of attendees--- "Has Magnepan 'sold out"? They were too polite to say it in such stark terms. Most attendees are familiar with Maggies and the problem of integrating a dynamic woofer with a panel speaker. This issue is the focal point of these tours and there was much discussion.

If you are able to attend one of the upcoming events, you can see the response of the group for yourself. But, in terms of an online consensus, the sampling rate will rate will probably be too small for a reliable indicator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-R8MERlHQ&feature=youtu.be

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55342

- Wendell Diller, Magnepan


josh358
West Coast Condo available... listening room. 15 x 33 w 9’ ceiling, surfing at lunchtime or ?
lets not do DSP
the ancient Labrador serves as a movable bass trap

free WiFi for the online challenged!!!!
andy2 you’d be surprised. Most millennials and Gen X’s are naturally comfortable on forums. Fewer boomers and far fewer of the previous generation post in online forums. If they look at all, they just lurk. 
Magnepan does not have clout with big buck buyers and their top speakers never sell like Wilson or Magico and never will.

I think Magnepan is worried that they will never make money in the extreme high end.

The 20.7 sold a few and the 30.7 hardly sold at all!


@don_c55, isn't it odd that Wilson dealers have that company's mid-priced models on demo (those models costing more than Magnepan's 20.7i and even 30.7), yet no Magnepan dealer I'm aware of has a pair of 20.7i, let alone 30.7, to audition? How can a consumer be expected to spend $14,000 or $29,000 on a loudspeaker without hearing it first?

Buying a pair of 20.7i for demoing purposes is a major investment for a dealer, and to not do so indicates to me a lack of faith in the product. 

Buying a pair of 20.7i for demoing purposes is a major investment for a dealer, and to not do so indicates to me a lack of faith in the product.
I am sure there may be a way for a dealer and a manufacturer to work together so that the dealer will not be charged for a "demo model" so there will not be any money that actually be spent.