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Opinions on Magnepans sales/marketing approach to

Is anyone else somewhat frustrated at the inability to audition the 20.7s except at a very very few locations in the country? The fly to MN to hear does not really appeal to me either because let's be real, an hour listening to decide on 14K speakers in a strange system is simply not enough and in MN they do not do a side by side with the 3.7s to allow auditioning both through same electronics any way.

I recently purchased Maggie 3.7s with the option to upgrade to 20.7s within 6 months . The 3.7s to my ear are a cut above the 3.6s when it comes to sounding like a single cohesive speaker versus the ribbon tweeter always drawing some attention to itself.

Problem is how do you tell if upgrade from 3.7 to 20.7 is worth it if the dealers do not have them on floor? The best would be to audition in you home on your equipment but at least if the dealers had both you could audition where the only variable is the speaker.

I have spoken wo Wendell about it and there is 1 dealer who Boston who will let you try and return but that is virtually an isolated approach..one which I applaud. Of course they have to really qualify the buyer but again, if you have 3.7s and want to upgrade, Magnepan and most dealers expect you to "buy on faith or reviews" which in my mind, in today's economy, is simply ridiculous. While I am sure some have bought them "blind", the argument that the 20.1s were better than the 3.6s so imagine how much better the 20.7s are the the 3.7s will not make me pull the trigger.

Long winded way of asking about others experience and opinion of how Magnepan and dealers are handling the 20.7s

MikeH
mn2hifi

Showing 10 responses by stickman451

stickman451
529 posts
 
I thought that the rooms at Audio Perfection were decent (for typical stereo shop these days); it's worth the trip...
stickman451
529 posts
 
Mrschret,

Were you able to do the Magnepan tour in White Bear Lake? Give us a report....
stickman451
529 posts
 
Tomorrow; my 20.7's arrive tomorrow! Not too bad, ordered them June 9th.
stickman451
529 posts
 
I ran into the same issues, so I opted to fly up to White Bear Lake for a personal listen. Wendell and everyone at the factory were very nice. Wendell gave me a personal tour of the factory that lasted almost two hours! Then I spent three hours listening to the 20.7's in their factory listening room (ideal room dimensions, but very sparse room treatments, electronics, and ammenities)... However, even under those less than ideal listening conditions I was able to be convinced that the new 20.7's are several notches above my old 3.6's; so I immediatey ordered a new pair from one of my local dealers (neither dealer in my town will ever have the 20.7's).

Btw, not too awfully far from Magnepan at White Bear Lake is a good hi-end dealer called, Audio Perfection. I spent half a day there listening to 3.7's and the Wilson Sophias and Sashas before visiting Magnepan. So, over a quick three day weekend I was able to hear the 3.7's, 20.7's, and several very good Wilsons. Ultimately, I felt that the 20.7's were the best speakers overall. The 3.7's are a " best buy" and a truly awesome speaker for the money.

My 20.7's should arrive in Sept (I hope...)
stickman451
529 posts
 
As much as I love Magnepan speakers, I do have to say that Magnepan as a Company is a bit different in thier thinking. To me, they are frugal to an extreme but this has enabled them to sell excellent products at unmatched value. In the 3.7 for example you get a world-class speaker that in my view outperforms many (actually most) speakers regardless of cost. I have compared the 3's to the Wilsons, Focals, Klipsch, Avalon, MBL's, etc...and many others and in my view they bested most of them and were embarrassed by none. Of course there is no such animal as the 'best' speaker; all speakers have pluses/minuses and to me the first rule is to properly match your speaker to your room; put the 'best' speaker in the a bad room and you still get poor results.

The speaker wire terminals on the Magnepans are an example of thier frugal thinking; they are terrible! Why not put a really nice, high quality 5-way binding post on all Maggies to facilitate easy connections? My guess is that they don't feel that this would improve the sound and would only add to the expense...

If you go to White Bear Lake make sure you look up Audio Perfection; it is an old style audio store with lots of interesting gear. They carry Magnepan, Wilson, Audio Research and many other top brands.
stickman451
529 posts
 
I would agree that the differences between the 3.6 and 3.7 may not seem as major as reported in the Audio press. However, in my brief listening sessions I did feel that the 3.7 was a more 'coherent' sounding speaker overall; the blending of the three drivers is more complete in the 3.7, especially with regard to the ribbon tweeter. To me that is the "largest" overall difference in the 3.7. I would say that the bass sounds a little more potent also, not by a great deal, but I do hear a little more snap and force in the 3.7 than the 3.6. Worth the price of admission for a new 3.7; that's a real individual value question for sure. I have the 3.6's now and have ordered the 20.7's, and there is a LARGE difference there!
stickman451
529 posts
 
Finally! Just got word from my local dealer that my 20.7's will go into production next week and that they should be delivered the last week of September. Better straighten-up my room pronto.
stickman451
529 posts
 
My new 20.7's are sounding better every day. First week they sounded a tad bit 'closed-in' and distant. However, after about 50hrs of play time they are definitely opening-up and sound much better.

The 20.7's are sounding more powerful and 'richer' than my old 3.6's. They definitely reach down lower; I hear more power and 'grunt', more bass and mid-bass 'punch'. The space between the speakers and the front wall is fuller, more dense, and sounds even more real (the 3.6's sound real too). The 20's speak with one voice, the separate drivers blend into one voice, unlike the 3.6's where on occasion the tweeter ribbon could 'stick-out' just a bit.

Very favorable so far! And expecting the 20.7's to get even better!

stickman451
529 posts
 
Another week with the 20.7's and all I can say is WOW!!! These things smoke my 3.6's like crazy. EVERYTHING is BETTER.

I am laying down a grid on the floor (per Jim Smith's instructions) so that I can tweak the speaker and listening position. I want to get these bad boys RIGHT!

Ray000, have you tried the resistors yet? Anyone tried these yet? My sound is so good now I haven't taken the time to test these out.
stickman451
529 posts
 
Another week with my new 20.7's and I have to repeat what I said above; WOW! These are one of the very finest speakers that I have ever heard!

They crush all of the 3 series Magnepans (all of which are damn good!). The 20.7's are rich, full-bodied, amazingly detailed, draw a HUGE stage in all directions, have a considerable amount of slam and 'grunt', and just plain sound REAL...

Very happy with this purchase; if you have a room that is large enough for these monsters (ie you can set them at 5 - 7 feet out into the room) and still sit 9 - 11 feet away, you must audition these before buying the 3.7's or any other speaker in the $12k - and up range!
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