Magnepan 3.6 or 3.7

Have two systems at home and reside in an area with many  dealers where two are very good friends. Ok I feel very fortunate in the ability to take things home and have direct comparisons from two dealers.

The Maggie 1.6 is a very under rated speaker when compared to the 3.7 I have both. tried a 3.6 very nice. 
Recently purchased a 3.7i NEW  and I am extremely disappointed.

I have the luxury of swapping out the following amps
Audio research VT 100 mkIII  and a VT 100 and a Bryston 4B3 cubed 

The Maggie 3.7i does not play as loud as even the 1.6 FACT
The Maggie 3.7i does not deliver quite the bottom end as the 3.6 or play as loud.

Yes I use two Rell s212 however there seems to be a tiny merge type sound gap thats being picky here but for comparison sake I must say this.
I have a Rell t-9 works well if you want a tiny touch of bass as a gap filler if you use the high inputs. 

I am aware it is very difficult to accept a 1.6 playing seemingly more volume than a 3.7i but that is a fact.

Best match up with the maggie 3.7i was with the following gear
Audio Rsearch Ls 5II " fine pre amp" and the Bryston 4b3 and a T9 rell ok two s212 better but expensive


Honestly a Vt100 MkIII and a McIntosh c2500 was very good
with a Bryston 4b3 amp better 

I would stick with a 3.6 and be done with it if had to do all over again.
I am going to trade in the 3.7 and step up to a 20.7 

3.7i cannot be bi amp and if you have a 4 pin speaker wire at the speaker end, start calling the dealer to modify the cables which I was not willing to do because I am looking into other speakers or if the 20.7 will accommodate the current cables  I will go ahead with the 20.7.

Magnepan has switched glue twice. The first time it cured the problem of delamination due to excessive UV light. But the problem of delamination due to excessive moisture remained until 2005, when Magnepan switched to 3M 30NF. It is available from them, or you can buy it locally.

I have never heard of 3.6's delaminating.

The adhesive was changed in June of 1987 on the IIIa and  the issue put to bed

But if you put the Magnepan's  in a sunny room, or play at over 100 dB all bets are off.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.  I've decided on the 3.7s, based on your responses.  I live in Iowa so it's easy for me to drive them up to the factory for the upgrade should I choose do do so.

Once again, thanks!

I love my 3.5s.  I loved my SMGas, .6s, 12s and 2.7s, but wouldn’t go back. I believe with Maggies, every generation brings improvements.  Get the newest you are comfortable purchasing.  

I do not bi-amp, but I do bi-wire my 1.6's, which cannot be done with the 3.7's. I assume that is not a big deal anymore if Magnepan no longer offers the option, due to the new xo design?
Leaning towards the 3.7's based on the early responses. Keep em coming!

If you can stretch the budget ever so slightly, the 3.7's would be a much better buy. The Mye stands are definitely a big improvement. Also, the 3.7's are going to keep their value better if you ever decide to upgrade in the future.

the age of the 3.6 can vary by very many years...could you send the 3.7 to Magnepan for the i upgrade might be a factor also...

I’d go for the 3.7s assuming the cost differential is not a big issue for you and you don’t want to bi-amp (two assumptions on my part I realize).

Reason?

1. The last 3.6s were made nearly ten years ago, and this pair could be much older. Just seems you get many more years service out of the 3.7s and likely better resale if you ever decide to sell them.

BTW: “3.7’s made before 2005....“ I think the 3.7s came out around 2010 or so the glue issue never effected 3.7s.

2. The Mye stands go for +$500 new and they absolutely improve the performance of the big maggies, so the cost delta between the 3.6 and 3.7 should be discounted by that amount as you consider your decision.

Hope that helps....