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What are some of the downsides of owning a Magneplanar .7 or 1.7i ?

Thinking of moving up speaker wise, and so am considering  the fabled Magneplanar speakers, that is, either the  the .7, or supposedly new 1.7i.   (BTW, I am not sure the Maggie .7 is necessarily an upgrade, and has less bass than my current box speakers...see below)

Besides "Maggies" having outdated speaker terminals that might be a struggle with banana plugs,, and they are generally power hungry, I am curious if anyone can honestly tell me of any other downsides of this design.  For the last 30 years, I have owned several traditional box design speakers. 

I currently have a pair of Golden Ear Technology model 7's....which I like and generally sound good However, I  would like to confirm what a planar design brings to the table in sound quality. I have read many times about the box-less sound  provided by this design, and its wide sound staging and low distortion. 

I think I have enough power with BAT VK-200 amp (100RMS) to drive the .7, but not sure that is enough to drive the MG1.7i. to higher volumes The pre-amp is a Conrad Johnson PV-14SE. 

The listening room area 12 X15ft, but opens into kitchen/dining area divided by a medium size couch. The rest of the space is approximately 12X18ft behind the sofa with a stupid counter island ( so I cannot move the sofa back any further.. The ceiling is 8 to 9 ft feet high ( not a cathedral ceiling, praise the Lord) . It is a bit of haul to the dealer I bought the Golden Ear T's from who also carries Magneplanar line.  All advice welcomed.    Thanks, SJ   

sunnyjim
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,853 posts
 
The price of the Mye stands is not inconsiderable (though not exorbitant), so if one wants to get an idea of the improvement they can provide to the sound of a pair of Maggies before ordering a pair, find a way to brace the top of the speakers. One Maggie owner on the Planar Speaker Asylum Forum installed a wood plank between his panels and the wall behind them. I came up with the idea of putting a spring-loaded 2-piece metal tube (like for a shower curtain) between panel top and ceiling, to lock the panel in place. No more swaying to and fro! If you like what you hear, but don’t like what you see (if there is a female in the house, she certainly will not!), go for the Mye’s.
ps
757 posts
 
bdp, I’m thinking your "shower rod" idea could look pretty cool. Maybe one rod per speaker, centered. You could also have multiples, two or three per speaker. Maybe powder coat or paint ’em. I may do a rough using Photoshop to get a sense of what my .7’s would look like.
helomech
1,706 posts
 
I’ll probably be listing a pair of Mye stands on here in the near future. Keep a look out.

I moved my 1.7s onto a new home but I can attest that the Mye stands make a considerable improvement. I don’t believe in magic cables, fuses, or any of that garbage but Mye stands really work.
sqlsavior
46 posts
 
If you want your music to kick you in the chest (while it damages your hearing) get some Klipschorns. IME, the requirement to be out from the front wall is very true. It is less of a requirement, but still true, for most box speakers. The reason is that you need reflected sound to arrive after a certain number of milliseconds difference from the direct sound in order to be perceived as a reflection by the brain, and not muddy the direct sound. The reflections are louder with dipoles; that is all. The farther dipoles are from the walls, front and rear, the better the depth perception, assuming your source has any, and your electronics preserve it.

There are numerous myths and personal preferences presented as shortcomings here. The only way to decide for yourself is to hear a pair, for a good while, in your own home. This should be possible.
stereo58's avatar
stereo58
3 posts
 
SunnyJim- There are a lot of posts listed here,  so I am not sure if you will get to see this response as most of them were from back in May!  Or if you have made a decision in choosing a speaker.  It is a very subjective opinion and really comes down to listening  tastes!

I can tell you from my experience in hearing a wide variety of speakers that the Maggies represent exactly what they are noted for-a wide soundstage, very low distortion (if any) and a realistic  presentation  of all instruments in their respective dynamic range.

Not only that, the vocal tracks,  especially those of female singers seem to be as if they are right in the room with you!  With regards to the size of the speakers from Magnepan.  The larger models do  have extended bass frequencies, such as the 3.7i and 20.7

However, the .7 or 1.7i  would be best served in utilizing a subwoofer as well.  I have the venerable and highly proclaimed 1.6 QR's. I am using a subwoofer with them of course.  I am driving them with Quicksilver V4 Monoblocks! My room is 12x15 too!

It is quite loud with enough power and perfectly mated for these speakers! I agree that if you have a very large listening room that you might need a more powerful amplifier or maybe solid-state to drive the Maggies to reasonable levels,  but once again that's an opinion!




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