I think Magnepan looked at the problem in a different way that many owners of the x.6 generation are looking at it. I think they said, "How do we build the best speaker at $xxxx price point?" Their answer to that question utilizes a series crossover, which as I understand it is inherently not biampable (is that a real word?).
As a long time owner of 1.6QR's and someone who was open to buying a demo pair of 3.6's, I think Magnepan made the right decision. It may not be the right decision for someone who is willing to invest in an active crossover, but for those who just want to use the stock speaker without by-passing or modifying the crossover, I think the stock 3.7R is a much better speaker than the 3.6R unless you use an active crossover with the 3.6's. I have not heard the 3.6's or 20.1's with active crossovers, but there are a lot of golden-eared Maggie owners that swear by the active crossovers. In my opinion, based on my long time ownership of the 1.6's and audition of the 3.6's, the stock crossovers left a lot to be desired.
My Cary 500 mb monoblocks drive the 3.7's just fine. I see no particular need for biamping when using the Cary's. No thanks on the arc welder. And only having to buy one set of cables enabled me to spend more (a lot more) than I would have if I bought two sets.
I would encourage people to judge the 3.7's and 3.6's based on careful auditioning. The question should be more one of how well is the design executed, not so much one of which design is inherently superior.
As a long time owner of 1.6QR's and someone who was open to buying a demo pair of 3.6's, I think Magnepan made the right decision. It may not be the right decision for someone who is willing to invest in an active crossover, but for those who just want to use the stock speaker without by-passing or modifying the crossover, I think the stock 3.7R is a much better speaker than the 3.6R unless you use an active crossover with the 3.6's. I have not heard the 3.6's or 20.1's with active crossovers, but there are a lot of golden-eared Maggie owners that swear by the active crossovers. In my opinion, based on my long time ownership of the 1.6's and audition of the 3.6's, the stock crossovers left a lot to be desired.
My Cary 500 mb monoblocks drive the 3.7's just fine. I see no particular need for biamping when using the Cary's. No thanks on the arc welder. And only having to buy one set of cables enabled me to spend more (a lot more) than I would have if I bought two sets.
I would encourage people to judge the 3.7's and 3.6's based on careful auditioning. The question should be more one of how well is the design executed, not so much one of which design is inherently superior.