Magneplanar 1.7s to Recruit New Audiophile?

Ha - thanks Magfan.

I dont know about RPTV's but every CRT and LCD Sony screen I have ever had was great and lasted for years.

Sony gets bashed a lot, but its perhaps the one brand where I drink by the label.

And although they sell out quickly, Costco gets the just barely discontinued models, sells them for huge discounts vs. say, a Best Buy and has a 90 day, no questions asked, no restocking fee, and no problem if you threw away all the packing and original box return policy.

How can you beat that?

Re ICE why would that be better? Any specific suggestions?

I would also think a monster pair of Bryston monoblocks would work great on small Magnepans, but in keeping with the budget on this project, the Odysseys sound pretty bulletproof and are significantly less money.

In a related thread, there is a debate going on about new 1.7s vs used Tympanis, 3.3s, 3.6s etc.

So we could also work that into the argument, although I think the person in question might not like used anything, regardless of the logic.

I have had 4 pairs of Magneplanars in the last 30 years or so, and on reflection, Amandarae makes a good point! But to me, the biggest struggle has always been space and power, not associated gear.

Nonetheless, they have a special magic that no other speakers I have ever experienced can match.

I have not tried them for home theatre, but always thought they would be very good and especially immersive for home theatre, particularly with the dipole aspect for the rear or surround channels, as pointed out by Magfan.

As Magneplanar has been one of the most enduring brands in all of high end, it seems to always stir up the "haters"....

Further to the original reason for this thread, I am thinking a well set up, adequately powered pair of 1.7s, with or without stands, subs, or exotic cables, should put a smile on a non audiophile's face, who would otherwise end up with the usual multi room, multi channel garbage as peddled by countless "independent" and/or "custom" installers undoubtedly known to the architects, designers and/or chattering wives in his high priced zip code.

Thank you,

Macdadtexas,

Thanks and yes, I have heard some accuse the Benchmark of being "bright" or "clinical" but others think its pretty good.

Mainly, it seems like a good utility device given PC, DVD, HDTV etc. which also elminates the need for a dedicated preamp?

Perhaps the Eastern Electric can function that way, too?

Having heard good things about the sound, the MHDT looks pretty homemade to me and not sure I could ever get comfortable with the 1970's smoked plastic (?) finish.

Might look at home in a car stereo for a pimp my ride style custom van renovation.

As an aside, I am always curious why the first Google hit for both of these - and it seems every other quirky brand recommended on Audiogon - is enjoythemusic.com, but I will try to keep an open mind.