Magneplanar Listening Comparison 1.7 vs. 3.7 Speakers

I have quite a bit of experience with the 3.7’s versus the 1.7i’s and the 3.7i’s and the 1.7i’s in my own system. I bought the 3.7’s and sent them to be upgraded after 3.5 months and owned the 1.7i’s for a little over a year before that.

The 3 series is a pretty big step up from the 1 series. Bass will be noticeably better and the transparency will be higher. The 1 series is still a great speaker for the money and is arguably the better buy.

How big is your room, and how far off the front wall will you be able to position the speakers?

I have. Save yourself a headache and get a pair of Vandersteen Model 2's. Setup properly, and matched with the right electronics, you'll have a much better sounding system.

Vandersteens are great, but I don't think the 2 series will match a properly setup Magnepan 3.7i system.  My brother has the Treos, so I have quite a bit of listening time on them.  He also owned the 1c.

Are you planning to setup against the short or long wall?

I think your room’s width is the most limiting factor. My room is a little less than 15’, and I think it’s the limiting factor. The length is 35’ but there’s a kitchen counter than runs across half the width of the room at 24’. The height is 10’.

It should still sound good though, and I agree that the 3 series sounds significantly better but not hugely.

The i versions sound a lot better than the non i versions. When I had my 3.7's, I'm pretty sure that I preferred my 1.7i's to them.