They are totally different animals. But, despite that, I consider them both to play in the same class of audio quality. I had the MG111a's for 10 years, then went to the Forests. Not exactly by choice-the Magnepan voice coils delaminated from the mylar panels. They never sounded right after the repair (my work, not Magnepans) so I sold them with full disclosure. The Maggies are alot harder to live with, I now have my living room back with the Forests only 2 feet from the back wall. Never heard the 1.7's, but, to sum it up I would have to say that to the hard core audiophile, the 111a's were a better speaker than the Forest. That doesn't mean I like them better though. They both have their atributes. Power was never a problem for me as the 111a's sounded better with 15 watts of tube power than 300 watts of solid state. I don't think the 1.7's can pull off this hat trick. I do think the Forests are more forgiving of placement and other components in the signal chain. The Maggies were ruthlessly revealing of every little thing... cables, 1/4 inch changes in toe in, placement to the walls, etc., etc., etc. Remember now, the 111a's sound is a bit different due to the true ribbon tweeter as opposed to a quazi ribbon-probably closer to the sound of the 3.6.
Magnepan 1.7 or used Totem Forest
Which one do you think would sound better for acoustic jazz? For other music overall which one would you prefer? And why? My budget is around $2000. That's why I say used Forest instead of new. Thanks.