Magnepans and Rock

Thanks guys, figured they were not the best for my brand of music but have always been fascinated by what I have read and the loyalty of owners. I do have a dealer relatively close by so I will have to give a listen.

Always have had box speakers - Thiels and Egglestons - probably the polar opposite of Maggies.

I had a pair of 1.7's and thought they were very overrated. I think they built their name a while back when box speakers weren't as good as they are now. If you want to try panels, I think an ESL like Martin Logan is a better choice. I know its a matter of opinion but I likes my ML's much better.

Zd, you make a valid point. Recent advances in computer assisted design of enclosures has changed the landscape a bit. That said, 3 years ago I wanted to move away from Maggies and couldn't do it. I could not touch the performance level of the 3.7Rs at even twice the price.

That said, I use them for classical music, where I think the standards for recording quality are generally higher than for rock. If I were a rocker, I would probably want a more forgiving speaker. And yes, you might want something that does a little better below 40 Hz.

"Recent advances in computer assisted design of enclosures has changed the landscape a bit."

Time marches on, unless it doesn't.

I have heard three pairs of Klipsch Heritage speakers all with enclosure designs from 30 years ago. There are kilobuck speakers made today that can't touch them.

As for maggies, I have owned heavily modified 1.6s and stock 3.5s. Both very good. I actually thought the 1.6s did rock better because every time I would crank up Neil Young's Reactor album, I would either blow a fuse or take out a tweeter on the 3.5.

Maggies can rock, but nothing reproduces a kick drum like a 15" driver.

Shakey

Had Maggies for years. They are very good when set up well. BEst for acoustic music and low to medium volume in general. Not a natural fit for harder or more electronic forms of rock music IMHO. I would listen and judge for yourself to decide if they work for you.