Can Magnepan survive Wendell Diller?

@pat_from_indy 

Regarding your center channel needs: Any KEK center channel, from the R 600’s and up will blow the Maggie’s doors off.

But here’s the deal, most center, and for that matter all box speakers, lack one thing that allows them to image like Slagmapans, a rear firing driver. That's the whole shebang, want Maggie imaging? Add a rear firing midrange/tweeter. I prefer adding a rear firing full range driver like the Fostex FE168EZ 6.5" Full Range Sigma Series. It does two things. It adds "presence" and it adds that feathery ambiguity to the harmonic overtones.

I still have a pair of 1.7s that I bought from an audio store in Michigan.  I had my modder rebuild the crossovers into an outboard box.  He described the parts inside as cheap junk.  The rebuilt xover sounded much, much better.  To my ears they sound ok stock.  Nevertheless, to my ears a pair of subs is mandatory.  

@Secretguy: No, I am fully aware of the current labor market. Yes, there is an overall shortage of workers. But much of the problem is that employees are quitting their jobs when they have any issue at all with fellow workers or management to go take an almost identical job at slightly higher pay or perceived more friendly environment. But nearly all of such jobs are entry level service industry jobs.

But Magnepan has what appear to be very long-term manufacturing jobs in at a company that historically can’t make enough product. Therefore, those jobs would be much more highly prized than working at Walmart or McDonalds, assuming that pay and benefits are as good or better. Having worked in an American manufacturing company, I know that the employees who manufactured our products very much appreciated the work they were doing, and the people they were working with. They felt like they had a real career with interesting work and opportunities.

IMHO, a company like Magnapan has labor shortages today either because they are located away from a suitable labor pool, or the pay / benefits are substandard. Oh yeah, it might also be because management is caustic. I only say that because if an exec has no issue with cussing out a customer, I can only imagine how that exec treats the people around him / her. Have a nice day.

@Jaymark: I too have a pair of 1.7s. Would you please let me know what mods you did? I am interested in modding my pair for use as surround speakers. Thanks.

@William53b:  Thank you for the suggestions and advice.  I will check them out.