magnepan 1.7 or 3.7 vs spendor s8e

thanks, larry. very helpful. i must admit i love my spendors quite a bit. hopefully i can demo some maggies here in the sf area

Do your best to own both technologies, as no one speaker can bring complete satisfaction.

Even though what I just stated is a universal truth, I suppose I should add "imo". ;)

"Going to the fruit market. What tastes better, oranges or bananas?"

Not trying to be cute. Just trying to highlight the huge differences in sound/ presentation between the two.

If you can't borrow some or are not familiar OR if you just want to hear them in your own home, a Low-Risk idea would be to send off for a pair of MMG.
They have some deal, which you should check out FIRST about upgrade at full credit for 30 or 60 days....some such.

Maggies have a house sound so going up-line just gets you more, not different. And depending what what you value, you may find the more.....attractive, though some simply stop at MMG.

Another alternative in the Maggie line would be some heavily Modd'd 1.6s or similar. Real wood frames, crossover mods and aftermarket stands are all on the table as well as those who take 'em apart and add various damping materials to the pole pieces.

And yes, Frog's got a point. Very different things, sound-wise.