Can Magnepan survive Wendell Diller?


I bought my first set of Magnepans in 1976, and I currently have a pair of 1.7i's.

It is difficult for me to upgrade to the 3.7i's because their are so many things that the company can do to improve their product that they simply won't offer; upgraded crossover components, a solid wood/rigid frames and better stands are examples.

Other companies are now doing this, but Magnepan always says Wendell doesn't think that is a good idea.

Can a man who suggests using lamp cord for his speaker line really have that much control over an otherwise unique technological approach to speaker design? I must be missing something obvious when a product is hand assembled in MN and any of these upgrades would, in my mind, warrant factory upgrades. Who wouldn't spend an extra $1k for a 1.7i with a hardwood frame and an upgraded x-over? Adding a ribbon tweeter to the 1.7i would warrant an additional $1k, still bringing them in $2k under the 3.7i.

Is it common for one person to hold an entire company back in high end audio? 
128x128william53b
Having own numerous monkey coffins (box speakers) my first foray into OB was with Accoustat 2 + 2s. I had both the interfaces and the servos, to which overtime I did some upgrades. The servos were great, but too many times I experienced cherry red tubes. Long after selling them someone figured out how stabilize the servos. Eventually,  I bought a pair of 3.5Rs but by themselves their sound got lost in my big room, so I added 2 SVS powered subs, but couldn't get them to blend seamlessly. I then tried multichannel W4S amp, then replacing the OEM XO with active, which was getting closer, but the cheap Behringers and DBXs kept blowing up. A couple years ago I sold them and bought Emerald Physics KCIIs with $1000 worth of upgrades, but they did not match up with my subs. About 6 months ago I got a pair of EP 3.4s, which are magical if your room isn't as big as mine, but my subs match up pretty well. The 3.4s are ~ 99dB efficient (no complex load here) with a concentric polyester tweeter, and sound amazing. A big benefit is they are only 40" tall. And since the line was discontinued you can find them damn cheap

hth
I found Wendell to be the opposite very willing to listen and offer solutions, he is almost always available when in the office and his interaction on road trips is fantastic.
Magnepan like any company has to weigh cost vs sonic gain for any upgrades. 
I haven't noticed any problems with the rigidity of 1.7 or now 3.7i as they are.Magnepan is offering a hell of a great product at their price point I auditioned lots of speakers and none cane close.
I know some are frustrated by their not recommending amps but if you stay with a high current  non class D amp you should be fine.
Thanks Tweak1. There are so many more speakers out there that I don't know exist anymore since moving away from Boston. 
And as you say, with Emerald Physics they let you mod up to the level you want to pay. Heck, if Magnepan did that, I wouldn't have even bothered with this post.

Anyone Else with other ideas in this size range are welcome to chime in, it is the size that is the limiting factor for me with the 3.7i's. Well, that and knowing that they can be better if I just want to pitch my warranty out the window when I buy them and know that they will need new caps and inductors.

What I would wish for is a "2.7" with additional width for a ribbon tweeter. Why not that for $4k?
"... What I would wish for is a "2.7" with additional width for a ribbon tweeter..."

I was just going to post this. They would not be perfect (nor are the 3.7s) but they would be damn good enough with the right setup.  
I agree Russ. One of the mods I tried on my Maggie’s was a rear facing tweeter crossed over at 5khz with a 12db slope. I used the Eton 29HD2 Magnesium/Ceramic 28mm Dome Tweeters from Madisound and it added a lot to their tweeter that just isn't possible with their design, but I think a dipole AMT like one of the Mundorf makes would be better. Trouble is their over $600 apiece now, and ideally you’d have three per side in an array. (This is why I would prefer Magnepan make the 2.7 with a ribbon tweeter.)

What the Fostex does that the tweeter did not do is add the feathery effects to instrument and crispness of certain voices to the sound that only a lightweight paper cone driver can achieve. I'm designing a ported wedge with a surrounding flare around it and incorporating a stand to lose the feet. I can  eliminate some of the noise bleed from that driver onto the wall behind the speaker, and by having the flare  shorter on the inside it enhances vocals for movies.  
I'm sure that once I've removed the "sock" from the speaker to upgrade the x-overs I'll try some lateral bracing in the middle of the panel to resist flexation too.

All things being equal, I would prefer that the factory just offer these upgrades so I didn't have to waste 100 hours on doing the modifications.