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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
william53b's avatar
william53b OP
211 posts
 
@ironlung,

Give me a break. My 1.7i's arrived with the one inductor in the x-over wired in series at the end of the circuit between the x-over and the ground.

They sounded brilliant up to about 3khz. Do you want to defend the nimrod that soldered that up, or Magnepan's QC department? And how do we know mine were an anomaly?

So yeah, I have earned the right to criticize Magnepan by being abused by them. 
ps
760 posts
 
I like my .7's very much.  Have a good day.
william53b's avatar
william53b OP
211 posts
 
Folks, you don’t have a clue as to what the 1.7i’s are capable of. I installed Danny at GR Research’s 1.7i’s upgraded X-over, eh, marginally better. Basically a waste of $290.00 

I just approached the whole thing from a different direction, and this design is better, and cheaper. I have to dial back the mid’s and hi’s to the bigger punch bass. No problem matching the speakers to a lowly Velodyne sub now. So now I've wasted about $500 in inductors and capacitors to find out this out.

On the other hand, my Maggie’s sing like no single panel before them. I like that. And 100 watts is plenty to achieve 100db.

Never apply box speaker X-Overs to planer speakers, you’ll just fail.
pwhinson
158 posts
 
While I wish that Magnepan were better repped by dealers who believe in the product and are willing to really demo it to its full potential and not make it an also-ran, those dealers need to make a living too. As with most things "its complicated." The high end is a hard business to succeed in right now whether you’re a manufacturer, distributor or retailer. Its tempting to think that with "just the right personnel or strategy" Magnepan could expand its footprint. But largely I think this thread is a solution looking for a problem. Magnepan seems to be doing just fine with plenty of backorders on many of their designs. I’m listening right now to my 20.7’s powered by ARC electronics and its SUBLIME.  The .7 series is far and above the best thing they've ever done.  The LRS has gotten TREMENDOUS ATTENTION.  I'm really not sure they're doing anything wrong given the size of the market to begin with.
ps
760 posts
 
I hope the following will be regarded as a constructive contribution to this thread.

"The fallacy of begging the question occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it. In other words, you assume without proof the stand/position, or a significant part of the stand, that is in question."
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