New 3.7 at CES 2011

[mauidan]

“The 3.7 is a 3-way, full-range ribbon speaker with a very ‘fast’ quasi-ribbon midrange and true ribbon tweeter. It is available in new aluminum trim or our traditional wood trims of oak and cherry. Fabric options are off-white, black, and dark gray. The suggested list is $5495 pair for aluminum and oak—$5895 pair for dark cherry trim.

“Both the award-winning1.7 and the 3.7 were tested under ‘blind-fold’ conditions by both audiophiles with proven ‘golden ears’ and individuals with no claim to special auditory abilities. This panel of listeners agreed that the new 3.7 does for the 3.6 what the 1.7 did for the 1.6. Although the 3.7 is a combination of advanced technology and careful voicing, rather than making claims about our latest speaker, we invite potential purchasers to bring their own music to their nearest Magnepan dealer and listen for themselves.”

 

[rblnr]

I'm a Maggie fan and will have make a point to stop by and hear these at CES. Will report

 

[MylesBAstor]

“The 3.7 is a 3-way, full-range ribbon speaker with a very ‘fast’ quasi-ribbon midrange and true ribbon tweeter. It is available in new aluminum trim or our traditional wood trims of oak and cherry. Fabric options are off-white, black, and dark gray. The suggested list is $5495 pair for aluminum and oak—$5895 pair for dark cherry trim.

“Both the award-winning1.7 and the 3.7 were tested under ‘blind-fold’ conditions by both audiophiles with proven ‘golden ears’ and individuals with no claim to special auditory abilities. This panel of listeners agreed that the new 3.7 does for the 3.6 what the 1.7 did for the 1.6. Although the 3.7 is a combination of advanced technology and careful voicing, rather than making claims about our latest speaker, we invite potential purchasers to bring their own music to their nearest Magnepan dealer and listen for themselves.”

The price has gone up a bit Remember when my Maggie 3s were $3K.

 

[jadis]

I really wonder why the company stopped making the 2.7QRs or its upgrade model since the late 90s. I don't think their MMGs or SMGs fit the void in between the 1 and 3 models.

 

[JackD201]

Definitely not Phil. Having owned 1.6 QRs and SMGc's The SMGs and MMGs are much, much lower in the totem pole versus the 1.6 much less the 2.7QRs. Perhaps the price difference between the 1.7 one 3.7 is too small in marketing terms for Magnepan to commit resources to a gap model?

 

[jadis]

Definitely not Phil. Having owned 1.6 QRs and SMGc's The SMGs and MMGs are much, much lower in the totem pole versus the 1.6 much less the 2.7QRs. Perhaps the price difference between the 1.7 one 3.7 is too small in marketing terms for Magnepan to commit resources to a gap model?

That could very well be one reason, Jack. And another lament I have about Magnepan is their insistence at having no email from anyone despite having a website, so I couldn't get my 'fan mail request' in. LOL. Same thing with ARC, no emailing feature in their site. Is this a Minnesota thing? LOL

 

[MylesBAstor]

That could very well be one reason, Jack. And another lament I have about Magnepan is their insistence at having no email from anyone despite having a website, so I couldn't get my 'fan mail request' in. LOL. Same thing with ARC, no emailing feature in their site. Is this a Minnesota thing? LOL

How about Ken Stevens who has an email but no web site

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I remember sending emails to Michael Kelly of Aerial Acoustics via his wife's email account because he preferred to use the telephone and the website offered no email address. Now, they have a response form on the website.

 

[jadis]

How about Ken Stevens who has an email but no web site

I like that better.

And one company that makes its users happy is Conrad Johnson. A good friend tells me either Mr. Conrad or Mr. Johnson responds to emails about upgrades on their products. I like that BEST.

 

[Gregadd]

Jim Winey needs to come to grips with reality that the stands for the Maggies have never been adequate. Instead of improving them he continues to pursue a minimalist approach.

I hate price increases. The 3.7 will still cost less than most of the speaker cables used with them.

That said if the 3.7 is a substantial improvement over the 3.6, it may make the 20.1 irrelevant. I expect a 20.2 by the end of the year.

 

[Jay_S]

The 3.7 will still cost less than most of the speaker cables used with them.

Most? People who buy these speakers have a variety of opinions on the utility of expensive cable. I doubt if most Maggie buyers will invest the $6,000 range for their speaker cables but there will definitely be a few.

 

[Gregadd]

point taken

 

[mep]

I remember sending emails to Michael Kelly of Aerial Acoustics via his wife's email account because he preferred to use the telephone and the website offered no email address. Now, they have a response form on the website.

Or Mike Elliott who prefers to deal with people via email though he does list his phone number.

 

[DonH50]

Well, I'm not using expensive cables with my old MG-IIIa's -- ears of lead, I reckon. They were $2250 when I got them and I managed to negotiate down to $1999. Probably ship them back to be rebuilt in the next year or two, and swap the old off-white sox for black to match everything else in my current system (the CC3 and MC1 surrounds/rears).

The 20.1's are much larger, go down another 10 Hz or so (nearly a half-octave), and are 2x the price, so I doubt the 3.7 will eat into 20.1 sales any more than normal. I would like to see a 20.2, of course.

I am curious what Magnepan did to make such a sonic improvement over the 3.7. I know thinning the panel material, then adding ribbon tweeters, were major upgrades in the past. Minor tweaks were in the mechanical aspects and crossovers. I need to review their literature about the quasi-ribbon design; I thought it was just a thinner mid/tweeter membrane (?)

 

[Gregadd]

Don- We know you're not a cable guy. Unfortunately $5k speaker cable is not a rarity. Want to wager that the first review of 3.7 mentions that makes the 20.1 an endangered species?

 

[DonH50]

Well, technically I do have cables in my system... I am still shocked at the price of cables of all sorts, but then again the cost of pretty much everything is shocking these days. Who'd've thought I'd sound like my parents when I got older?

No bet, but if so it wouldn't be any more than when the 3.6's came out. The two speakers target a fairly different audience, much as the Tympani's did in the past. There are probably folk like me that would like to have 20's but haven't the finances nor really the room. If I upgraded now it would be to replace my old IIIa's with 3.7's, not 20.x's. Perhaps even look at 'stats again. Maybe once the boys are out of college...

Hope things are going well for you this new year! - Don

p.s. I do confess that, much as I like calling and talking with them, email service would be nice now and then.

 

[DonH50]

The 3.7's are on the Magnepan website...

I think they should give me a pair to review for a few years.

 

[DonH50]

Our local (Denver) store is blowing out the 3.6 demos... They won't get 3.7's in to hear until the demos are gone.

 

[microstrip]

The 3.7's are on the Magnepan website...

I think they should give me a pair to review for a few years.

Don,

They gave them to Harry Pearson - see the second part of the review at http://www.avguide.com/review/hps-workshop-maggie-37-speaker-system-part-two-tas-213.

Final words by HP "I almost wish, given the impossibility of it, you could hear them with me. I believe every serious student of the art and the absolute sound itself owes it to himself to give these speakers an audition, understanding that, if they don’t almost knock you out, they are set up wrong or by the incompetent. Period."

Strong words. Now, even myself would like to hear them ...

 

[jadis]

Don,

They gave them to Harry Pearson - see the second part of the review at http://www.avguide.com/review/hps-workshop-maggie-37-speaker-system-part-two-tas-213.

Final words by HP "I almost wish, given the impossibility of it, you could hear them with me. I believe every serious student of the art and the absolute sound itself owes it to himself to give these speakers an audition, understanding that, if they don’t almost knock you out, they are set up wrong or by the incompetent. Period."

Strong words. Now, even myself would like to hear them ...

Yes. Riveting words. And think that this speaker cost $5500. Some bookshelves cost $20,000 or more. And this is a floor standing full range ribbon speaker, capable of projecting a very tall, wide and deep soundstage, among others. At $5500.

Maggies playing these kind of music - Heavenly.