Can Magnepan survive Wendell Diller?


I bought my first set of Magnepans in 1976, and I currently have a pair of 1.7i's.

It is difficult for me to upgrade to the 3.7i's because their are so many things that the company can do to improve their product that they simply won't offer; upgraded crossover components, a solid wood/rigid frames and better stands are examples.

Other companies are now doing this, but Magnepan always says Wendell doesn't think that is a good idea.

Can a man who suggests using lamp cord for his speaker line really have that much control over an otherwise unique technological approach to speaker design? I must be missing something obvious when a product is hand assembled in MN and any of these upgrades would, in my mind, warrant factory upgrades. Who wouldn't spend an extra $1k for a 1.7i with a hardwood frame and an upgraded x-over? Adding a ribbon tweeter to the 1.7i would warrant an additional $1k, still bringing them in $2k under the 3.7i.

Is it common for one person to hold an entire company back in high end audio? 
william53b

Showing 1 response by edgewear

For more than 25 years I have used Maggies with true ribbon tweeter (MG 3.3, MG 20 and now 20.7) and not once has this driver failed. Even my old 3.3 with the protection fuse replaced by a copper bar could handle realistic sound levels without any problems. So don’t let their presumed fragile construction hold you back, just make sure the cleaning lady keeps the vacuum cleaner away!

I agree Maggies are not particularly hard to drive with their even 4 ohm load, but their low sensitivity does require sufficient power. But they have slightly improved on this over the years. The 20.7 now has push pull quasi ribbon bass panels, which are more of a kind with the push pull quasi ribbon mids. This made it possible to do away with that large outboard crossover box of the MG 20 and 20.1 which ate up lots of amp power. Still, don’t expect them to make music on a low powered SET.