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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 2 responses by lhasaguy

lhasaguy's avatar
lhasaguy
346 posts
 
I am running 3.6 Maggie’s and two things stand out about them.  One, they crave power.  Until I bought mono block amps that put out real measured 750 WPC, the sounded thin.  The other is that room treatment is more important than ANY other tweak with regard to Maggie’s.   

I understand various comments regarding crossovers and other components, but at their price point, nothing in my experience compares, YMMV
lhasaguy's avatar
lhasaguy
346 posts
 
The one thing Magnepan could do that would not be overly expensive is to produce a solid frame like Mye stands as an option.  
Three things really opened up my 3.6 Maggies were Mye stands, room treatment (ficus plants behind speakers) and enough power (McIntosh MC501s).

Those changes (I went thru a few amps) made the amazing sound I still love today!!


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