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Magnepan 1.7 and Subwoofer help/recommendations

I seem to have gotten myself into a bind with purchasing a subwoofer. Hear me out. I recently acquired myself a pair of Magnepan 1.7s, and they sound great. The problem is at about 90hz, the speakers completely fall apart. Obviously, it's practically incapable of producing frequencies below 30hz, which is fine with me, but my problem is that at about 50-80hz, it's a got a big honking hump of bass that overpowers a lot of the details in the mids and highs. It's like they know that they're about to give out, so they give one last big push. I would honestly rather have less bass in that area, which is what leads into my subwoofer problem.

I use my Benchmark DAC1 USB as a preamp, using the XLR outs going to my Bryston 4B with only XLR/TRS inputs. After having read some suggestions on subs that match well with Maggies, I made a list. Practically the #1 suggestion I saw was Vandersteen 2wq. I saw one online yesterday used for a good price, and I called Vandersteen, and they said that in order for me to set it up, I would need to purchase the M5 crossover, which would cost quite a bit of money ($600 minimum), which I would rather not spend. On top of that, there is only 1 Vandersteen dealer that I know of in Canada, and they haven't called me back as to whether or not they have the M5.

After looking online at a bunch of options, I've gathered that all of them pretty much only have RCA ins and outs. So, my question is: Where can I find a subwoofer that will a)match well the Magnepans
b)I can hook given the limitations of my system
c)Under $800 used
d)Goes all the way down to 20hz (Kind of just a bonus, not really necessary)

Presumably someone here would know more about this. If you do, please help me out and offer some advice. Thanks in advance for any responses.
ninjasquirt
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Do you have room for a Magneplanar DWM? I've heard 'em, and blending one or more with Maggie panels is a slam-dunk.

I think they're $595 ea., so adding one is well within your budget. There's a 30-day trial period with full product price refund (i.e., no restocking fee).
dedobot
9 posts
 
"Given the $800 budget, it might make sense to start with two small subs, and plan on adding two more as the piggy bank recovers."

I'm for 2x SVS SB 1000 [2x$500].High and low level inputs,variable 50Hz-160Hz low pass filter,80 Hz high pass filter. Plenty of options to integrate the subs.
dsper
657 posts
 
I had Maggie 1.7's and never had a problem with bass down to about 40 to 50Hz. After that, they were anemic. Also a little too hot on the treble end.

I traded up to Maggie 3.6's about 18 months ago and, in the last month, added one Magneplanar DWM.

Johnnyb53 is right that the DWM blends in well and you can have fun moving it around until you like what you hear.

I was surpised how much better it made the 3.6's sound. Better soundstage, better high end and more clean bass.

I am considering buying a second DWM.
raymonda
855 posts
 
The older M & K subs work well. I use 2 150's and they blend fine in my room with my 3a's. You could get 2 200's for 800.
jadegrenade410's avatar
jadegrenade410
10 posts
 
I have the 1.7i's and run them with a pair of Rel T5's in stereo using the Speakon connection which takes a high level signal direct from the binding posts on my power amp. Rationale is that they see the exact same signal as the Maggie's (rather than low level signal via single-ended RCA output from preamp), and the Rel's are specifically designed this way to keep up with the speed of the 1.7's. After a bit of adjustment with the T5 internal crossover it's the most seemless integration I've heard.
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