Funny. One of my coworkers suggested that too. I don't know if that is ok or not. I guess I could ask, to be sure.
Opinions on Magnepans sales/marketing approach to
Is anyone else somewhat frustrated at the inability to audition the 20.7s except at a very very few locations in the country? The fly to MN to hear does not really appeal to me either because let's be real, an hour listening to decide on 14K speakers in a strange system is simply not enough and in MN they do not do a side by side with the 3.7s to allow auditioning both through same electronics any way.
I recently purchased Maggie 3.7s with the option to upgrade to 20.7s within 6 months . The 3.7s to my ear are a cut above the 3.6s when it comes to sounding like a single cohesive speaker versus the ribbon tweeter always drawing some attention to itself.
Problem is how do you tell if upgrade from 3.7 to 20.7 is worth it if the dealers do not have them on floor? The best would be to audition in you home on your equipment but at least if the dealers had both you could audition where the only variable is the speaker.
I have spoken wo Wendell about it and there is 1 dealer who Boston who will let you try and return but that is virtually an isolated approach..one which I applaud. Of course they have to really qualify the buyer but again, if you have 3.7s and want to upgrade, Magnepan and most dealers expect you to "buy on faith or reviews" which in my mind, in today's economy, is simply ridiculous. While I am sure some have bought them "blind", the argument that the 20.1s were better than the 3.6s so imagine how much better the 20.7s are the the 3.7s will not make me pull the trigger.
Long winded way of asking about others experience and opinion of how Magnepan and dealers are handling the 20.7s
MikeH
I recently purchased Maggie 3.7s with the option to upgrade to 20.7s within 6 months . The 3.7s to my ear are a cut above the 3.6s when it comes to sounding like a single cohesive speaker versus the ribbon tweeter always drawing some attention to itself.
Problem is how do you tell if upgrade from 3.7 to 20.7 is worth it if the dealers do not have them on floor? The best would be to audition in you home on your equipment but at least if the dealers had both you could audition where the only variable is the speaker.
I have spoken wo Wendell about it and there is 1 dealer who Boston who will let you try and return but that is virtually an isolated approach..one which I applaud. Of course they have to really qualify the buyer but again, if you have 3.7s and want to upgrade, Magnepan and most dealers expect you to "buy on faith or reviews" which in my mind, in today's economy, is simply ridiculous. While I am sure some have bought them "blind", the argument that the 20.1s were better than the 3.6s so imagine how much better the 20.7s are the the 3.7s will not make me pull the trigger.
Long winded way of asking about others experience and opinion of how Magnepan and dealers are handling the 20.7s
MikeH
Showing 7 responses by misterneutron
Oh yes, I've been thinking I should call the factory and see when I could drive over and listen to 20.7s. It's only 33 miles from my house. To date, I've only heard 1.7i and 3.7i. Is there any benefit in buying from the a dealer when Magnepan is right here "in town"? I believe the Magnepan warranty coverage would be the same, either way. |
At this point in time (June 2019) I wonder if anyone knows if there is still a big backlog of 20.7 orders, and thus still a 20.7 waiting list? I live in the Minneapolis metro area, where we have a single dealer for the whole state. I was told the dealers are allocated 1 pair of 20.7 speakers per 20.7 manufacturing cycle, which I gathered was maybe 3-4 times per year? The dealer said they order 1 pair of 20.7 per manufacturing cycle and by the time that pair is manufactured, they have been sold to a customer. Thus, they never have a pair of 20.7 on the demo floor. I would guess that if the dealer is only able to order/sell 3-4 pairs of 20.7 per year, a customer would end up in a waiting list that could be 12 months long or more? Would there be any time advantage in ordering direct from Magnepan, and sidestepping the wait list that the dealer likely has? Thanks for any insight. |
In 2010, I was thrilled with the soundstage of 1.7i and 3.7i. From what I’m told, I’d love 20.7s. So, it became a long-term plan of mine - to get a house with bigger rooms so I could support 3.7i or 20.7. Over the last year we moved from a 1950 cape cod house with small rooms to a 1965 rambler with a big rooms that will support 20.7s! Now, I’m just trying to figure out the best way to get some 20.7s into the house! Ideally, I’ll find a used pair of 20.7s in the Minneapolis metro area. But, they don’t seem to come onto the used market very often in the Minneapolis metro area... Maybe I should consider new? There’s currently a demo pair of 20.7 (2012 manufacture date, selling on Audiogon) from an audio store in Evanston, IL, but the $1200 shipping costs or 10% sales tax of $895 (with me driving to Evanston to pick them up) KILLS the good deal of those 20.7s...VERY sad that is the case. I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass and wait for something local to come to light. |
I'm checking on other shipping methods. The store's $1200 quote seems way too high. It looks Spee-Dee Delivery will ship each 100 pound speaker box for $133.75 per box with insurance of $5000 on each box. http://speedeedelivery.com/services/shipping-calculator/ |
As an FYI to the community: This week, I communicated with the Magnepan factory and asked about driving over to listen to a pair of 20.7. On June 13, 2019 I got this response: "Magnepan doesn't have a showroom for listening anymore. And, the 20.7's are no longer at Audio Research." For reference, Audio Research's facility is in the Minneapolis subburb of Plymouth, MN - the other side of the metro area from Magnapan's factory in White Bear Lake, MN. |
I asked the Magnepan representative if 20.1 were upgradable to 20.7 and how much would that cost? The answer, "There is no formal upgrade from a 20.1 to a 20.7." I also asked how long the wait might be if I were to order new 20.7. "Because of the current backlog of orders for the new LRS speakers, an order placed now for a new pair of 20.7's would take at least four or five weeks." After reading various Magnepan experiences on this forum (3-4 months wait for 20.7 back in 2012), 4-5 weeks is a pretty short wait!! |