Esoteric MG 10 vs Magnepan 1.7

I agree that maggies aren't the most transparent speaker available. They do some things really well and have a cult following. That said, there is no way a pair of Vandersteen 2s could be considered more transparent. I can understand someone preferring the Vandys for one reason or another, but transparency? Nah.

For the OP. If you haven't spent some quality time with a planar loudspeaker you should before making up your mind. Most dealer demos of maggies have left me cold. So it would be best to listen to a well broken in pair at someone's home.

You may decide that is the sound for you. Or you may keep looking. I have owned 1.6s and 3.5s and loved them both. But I moved on for various reasons and have no remorse.

Shakey

The Maggies have their strengths and the Esoteric's have theirs. Put another way....The Maggies have their weaknesses and the Esoterics have theirs. Impossible for me to tell what you would like best. I'd suggest auditioning both of them some more and see if one draws you in more. I do think everyone should own a planar for at least a part of their life.

Shakeydeal,

"That said, there is no way a pair of Vandersteen 2s could be considered more transparent. I can understand someone preferring the Vandys for one reason or another, but transparency? Nah."

This is fairly new person to audio. The least you could do is be more responsible with your posts. Its OK for you to have a different opinion than me, but having one that's not based on your own experience is really not an opinion. Someone new will probably not pick up on this and may think you actually did the evaluation yourself. If you are going to base your comments on what you've read in magazine reviews and what people in chat rooms have to say, that's fine. Just say so. There's nothing wrong with sharing that type of info.

Please don't come back with some lame story about how your friends have Vandersteens or something, and you have so much experience with them its just like you owned a pair. I've been doing this too long both as a hobby and professionally to fall for that kind of BS.

Wow, touched a nerve did we?

I actually did own a pair of 1Bs for a while. And yes, I've heard 2s and 3s in enough settings to know exactly how they compare to maggies. Ask anyone who has heard a pair or even owns them. Yes, they are high value speakers that offer a lot for the money. Is transparency their strong suit? No.

This ain't my first rodeo, so don't speak to me like it is.

Shakey

Shakeydeal. The name says it all. Of course you have all this experience; after the fact. People like you always do.