Magnepan Crossover Mod Approach?

Jaymark, have you considered moving up to the 3.7? It has the true ribbon tweeter, which has just the top end transparency and extension you're looking for. Or maybe a 3.6? I don't know how it compares to the 1.7, which I still haven't heard, but now that the 3.7 is out the 3.6's are going for very reasonable prices on Ebay.

Josh - I have not considered moving up to the 3.6 or 3.7; I can certainly go and listen to them at a local dealer near me and hear the latest model. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jaymark: If you haven't already looked, an excellent resource is the Planar Speaker forum over on Audio Asylum. The vast majority of postings relate to Maggies, and there are numerous threads on cross-over mods. One of the more popular was developed by "Peter Gunn" (screen name) who specializes in modifications for Maggies.

PG will send you off a copy of his crossover which allows a real DIY.
You'll end up with external crossovers, since the new caps will invariably be larger than stock.
I don't know if he's gotten around to the 1.7s yet, since he listened and wasn't impressed.

Right now, the 3.6 is a real bargain. The new model, the 3.7 is very well accepted so the 'last' model is going for bargain prices.

Room / cash permitting, this is the way I'd go....followed by a trip to Gunn for the full wooden frame. Absolutely beautiful in Sipo Mahogony.