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New Magneplanar 1.7 owner

Yee-haw!

Since my current speakers are now out of production and replacement parts are rapidly dwindling, I decided to fix them one last time and consign them. This put me on a 2-1/2 month quest for replacement speakers.

After considering the usual ID suspects in my price range (e.g., Salk Soundtowers, Ascend Sierra Towers, LSA 2.1 Towers, etc.) and auditioning what was available in my area, I was so completely captivated by the virtual reality experience of the Magnepans that I came home with a pair of 1.7s today.

Normally the store doesn't stock them but rather takes your order and gets them in in 1-4 wks depending on their availability and production schedule. But lucky me, they had a pair in stock of the color combo I wanted, silver aluminum side rails and black cloth. I'm breaking them in as I write.

They look ridiculously large in my living room, but that's part of the fun of the insanity and joy of this hobby, eh? Meanwhile, even before they're broken in I'm discovering new details in familiar recordings. My little Mirage subwoofers match up well to flatten and extend that bass response down to around 36 Hz. They helped the imaging pop into focus.
johnnyb53
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Johnnyb, MG 3.7Rs in 3, 2, 1----.

Happy for you. Once you really get Maggies working for you, it's hard to go in another direction. Believe, me, I know. SMGa to QR1.6 to 3.7R. Each time I wanted to move away from Maggies, and just couldn't do it. When I bought my 3.7's I found one other speaker ( at 3x the price) I thought I could live with.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
11-18-13: Brownsfan
Johnnyb, MG 3.7Rs in 3, 2, 1----.
Oh, no doubt Maggies are the crack of audio.

I have an audio buddy who--in about a year's span--started with used 1.6s, upgraded to 1.7s, then to used 3.6s and last I heard was negotiating for some 20's. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes out a 2nd mortgage to get some new 20.7s. What'll he do then?? (well, he could add JL subsÂ…)

I like all kinds of music but my extensive classical LP collection hasn't seen much action because the cone speakers I could afford just couldn't keep all that polyphony sorted out. I just listened to Bruno Walter's 1958 Columbia recording of Eroica on the new Maggies last night. What a trip!
secretguy
1,596 posts
 
I'm curious about how you have the sub set up. I've never gotten a sub to sound right with Maggies. Are you using an external Xover? Or does your amp provide bass management? Thanks.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
11-18-13: Secretguy
I'm curious about how you have the sub set up. I've never gotten a sub to sound right with Maggies. Are you using an external Xover? Or does your amp provide bass management?
First, I have very small, very fast subs. They're the now discontinued Mirage MM8s, but the identical unit lives on as the Energy ESW-M8. For speed and clarity, they have aluminum cones, a very supple, linear, and long-excursion surround, and lots of power--360 RMS/1200 peak.

They are line level input only and can accept a stereo or mono signal. I have a pair working left and right, and positioned close to their respective main speakers. This keeps the L-R bass fundamentals in sync with the panel's upper bass and overtones regardless of where your position in the room.

These subs also have a pretty comprehensive set of controls for blending--volume (of course), 0-360 deg. continuous phase control, and continuous crossover control from 50-200 Hz or even bypass.

I don't try to do too much with these subs. They don't go deep or loud; just to about 36 Hz and 106 dB. I don't use a high pass Xover either. Basically I use them to augment the same 40-60Hz range as Magnepan's own DWM, help pressurize larger rooms, and fill in where the Maggies start rolling off so they're flatter in the 36-60 Hz range.

And it's a lot easier to blend an 8" high powered, light-diaphragm sub with 1.7s than trying it with a single 12" or 15" sub reaching down to 20 Hz.
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