Who has Heard The New Maggies 1.7

[steve williams]

At under $2K/pair this speaker is getting some amazing press. Several of my friends have bought these for secondary smaller syatems and can't stop raving about them.
From their website.....



In the latest Absolute Sound Magazine Buyer's Guide, the staff of the Absolute Sound voted the Magneplanar 1.6 as the "Best Bargain in High-End Audio" for speakers over $650 pair. Now, 2 months later -- announcing the Magneplanar 1.7.After a 12-year history, reaching a near-iconic standing, the Magneplanar 1.6 has been improved with value engineering. No costly tweaks of questionable sonic value. Magnepan is all about better ideas which give high-value sonic improvements that can be verified in blind-fold testing.

The 1.7 is a departure from Magnepan's 40-year history of using planar magnetic drivers for the bass or lower midrange. The use of quasi ribbon technology down into the lower midrange and bass will provide a new level of coherence.

What is a quasi-ribbon? The quasi ribbon driver is a deviation from the true ribbon design. A very thin film backing is used to hold the delicate ribbons in place. One of the advantages of quasi ribbon drivers is extremely wide frequency band width and high power handling. The result in the 1.7 is low distortion and seamless ribbon clarity--a sound so clear and effortless that it has changed the thinking of thousands of audiophiles about planar speakers.

The 1.7 also boasts a quasi ribbon super tweeter with a wider "sweet spot," and one step closer to the delicacy and detail of Magnepan's true ribbon design.

A new, modern styling with wrap-around aluminum trim on the 1.7 is also a departure from Magnepan's more conservative cosmetic styling. The standard wood trims of the 1.6 are available upon special order. Aluminum trim with a tough, professional primer coat is available for custom finishing which can easily be spray-painted by the customer.

The total design concept for the Magneplanar 1.7 results in a speaker that measures exceptionally well by all the standard criteria, but more important, sounds even better.

The 1.7 USA suggested retail price starts at $1,995 pair. There will be a modest price increase for trim and fabric upgrade options.

 

[soundofvoid]

I am surprised they are still in business!I can name a few companies that were fair traders (didn't cost an arm and a leg to buy their products) but went under for no obvious reason!
Maggies are simlpy superb!Best sound I've heard was in two different situations :Infinity IRS V and Maggies 20.1R with tube preamp and Classe Omega stereo amp.Goosebumps the size of Everest!

 

[MylesBAstor]

I am surprised they are still in business!I can name a few companies that were fair traders (didn't cost an arm and a leg to buy their products) but went under for no obvious reason!
Maggies are simlpy superb!Best sound I've heard was in two different situations :Infinity IRS V and Maggies 20.1R with tube preamp and Classe Omega stereo amp.Goosebumps the size of Everest!

I think you mentioned a few good reasons why Magnepan has stayed in business and is one of the elders of our high-end industry. I might also add customer support, though maddening some times and the ability to mod the speakers to get even better sound. I didn't know anyone with MGIIIa that didn't mod them (wiring, capacitors, eliminating connections and fuses, better chokes, putting everything outboard in one box, bracing, etc); same goes with the 20.1. I can tell you that no one at Magnepan has heard how great that ribbon tweeter is because of the cap they chose. Same goes with the chokes that add a "ghost image" to the sound. Some people such as George Cardas have actually used his wire on the panels themselves and improved their efficiency.

 

[jadis]

Magnepan was a speaker 'closer' to me. It shut me out from any more speaker change. That was 13 years ago. I'm hoping to hear the 1.7s and 20.1s someday, maybe here or in HK and maybe my 2.7s will be retired. I haven't changed anything, it's still a stock unit, and I'm happy with the pair.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Magnepan was a speaker 'closer' to me. It shut me out from any more speaker change. That was 13 years ago. I'm hoping to hear the 1.7s and 20.1s someday, maybe here or in HK and maybe my 2.7s will be retired. I haven't changed anything, it's still a stock unit, and I'm happy with the pair.

Had the 20.1s for review a couple of years ago. They are a great speaker with a couple of caveats. 1. They need a lot of power esp. an amp that can control the bass panel or the panel can "slap." 2. The are room dividers and need a big room. 3. They need bracing. 4. They probably sound best biamped but finding that optimal amp combo isn't easy. Part of that problem comes from the fact that the bass amp doesn't roll off real fast and one can hear its siggie in the upper mids of the speaker eg. a bright ss amp won't work. 5. They would like a big tube amp since they are a nice, easy 4 ohm loads; cj amps have always sounded wonderful on Maggies.

 

[jadis]

Had the 20.1s for review a couple of years ago. They are a great speaker with a couple of caveats. 1. They need a lot of power esp. an amp that can control the bass panel or the panel can "slap." 2. The are room dividers and need a big room. 3. They need bracing. 4. They probably sound best biamped but finding that optimal amp combo isn't easy. Part of that problem comes from the fact that the bass amp doesn't roll off real fast and one can hear its siggie in the upper mids of the speaker eg. a bright ss amp won't work. 5. They would like a big tube amp since they are a nice, easy 4 ohm loads; cj amps have always sounded wonderful on Maggies.

I see, Myles. Lots of caveats. Does not sound like it's for me....yet.

 

[kach22i]

I had a chance to hear the 1.7's at AK-fest 2010. However somebody did a poor job of placing them in the room and they suffered greatly because of it.

The photo is as poor as the room setup, no one should be proud of either, but at least I can partly blame my seven year old camera which fits inside an Altoids box for a case.

The setup was in a double sized suite or small meeting room (w/bar), on the long wall. In between the two speakers was an outcropping/bulkhead or pilaster of drywall from the windows. The outcropping pilaster was about 5-1/2 feet wide with 3 foot deep return walls going back to the full length windows. The speakers had a good six feet of distance from their backs to the glass, and the bulkhead/pilaster in between acted like a large CRT TV would corrupting the center sound stage.

There was two rows of seats/chairs in front of the speakers, but the somewhat nearfield listening position had all of us standing flat back against the wall in an attempt to gain more distance.

We all agreed that the speakers should have been placed on the short far wall. This would have been much better. However upon entering the suite you would see nothing until all the way in the room, and only once you turned your body to the left 90 degrees. Other suites had done this and were full of listeners, the poor Maggie 1.7's were playing to an empty room and looked pretty lonely there abandoned, neglected.

I'm sure the 1.7 is a fine speaker, problem is I just did not get a chance to hear it properly. A real pity.

 

[jadis]

Too bad, kach. Yeah, show conditions. It's a make or break thing. To think the exhibitors shelled out money to be there. I once attended a Hong Kong Hifi Show that had the MG20 in a small hotel room. People were so packed inside and even overflowing out of the door that I cannot imagine how quality sound can be attained. The best Maggie I've heard was in a large room of Magnepan's HK dealer - Excel Hifi. Very large room housing the Tympani IV-A. Though the model has been discontinued, the sound I heard through them was one of the best I've heard.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Too bad, kach. Yeah, show conditions. It's a make or break thing. To think the exhibitors shelled out money to be there. I once attended a Hong Kong Hifi Show that had the MG20 in a small hotel room. People were so packed inside and even overflowing out of the door that I cannot imagine how quality sound can be attained. The best Maggie I've heard was in a large room of Magnepan's HK dealer - Excel Hifi. Very large room housing the Tympani IV-A. Though the model has been discontinued, the sound I heard through them was one of the best I've heard.

There were a couple of rooms like that at CES this year-the Oceanway Studio speakers come immediately to mind. The way they were set up was like giant -and extremely loud- headphones.

 

[Gregadd]

Steve I have been invited out to Gifted Listener Audio to hear the 1.7. I'll get out there in the next couple of weeks.

 

[steve williams]

Steve I have been invited out to Gifted Listener Audio to hear the 1.7. I'll get out there in the next couple of weeks.

this promises for another great review Greg

I've only heard wonderful things about this speaker

 

[TitaniumTroy]

I also heard the 1.7's at the 2010 AKFest. However I thought they sounded excellent, with exception being that they started getting boomy when the volume got above a certain level. Which I thought was rather strange, until on another forum. Where I read there was a subwoofer also being used in the system. As to whether they sounded better than say the 1.6's I could not say unless they were side by side.