Magnepan's 1.7i c/w 2 DWM bass panels v 3.7i


Hi,

Would a pair of Magnepan's 1.7i's with two Magnepan  DWM Bass Panels be the equivalent or perhaps better than a pair of 3.7i's without Bass Panels?
The reason I ask is that in the near(ish) future I am thinking the possibility of adding a secondary system. I have set a budget, well the budget has really been set for me really of about 10k, to Include speakers, amp, cd player. Any thoughts/views/experiences would be greatly appreciated. I have set my mind on a pair of Magnepans.
I recently got out an aged pair of MG1's that I have had stored away for a long time, and I liked the way they portray music, I want 'more' of the same, as it were.

Thanks in advance.

128x128gawdbless
Depending on your room size the 3.7i's without the DWM base modules would be the way to go. IMHO stay away from class D amps with the 3.7i and 20.7i's. I had a REF 5SE preamp with some ARC DS450M ($12k) mono-blocks and couldn't get the magic that 3.7i's were capable of. Recently switched to a pair of PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP's with 16 KT150 tubes and couldn't be happier.
I had a pair of Emo xpa 1l monos that kept blowing driving my Maggie 1.7 not sure on how the xpa-2 would match up. Switched to a Parasound Halo and everything is great. Also upgraded to 3.7i a big step up from the 1.7.
You can go used and save a few thousand on the speakers.