Upgrade to Maggi 3.7i or Tekton Moab?

I am expecting to hear (fairly so) that if i want to feel music hit me in that chest, a planar speaker is not for me and I need to go with dynamic driver.

I’d agree with that.  There’s a nice pair of Nola KOs for sale here that’d give you nice scale and impact with their multiple dipole dynamic drivers.  Also a nice pair of ATC SCM40 v.2 on US Audio Mart, and that overbuilt dome midrange pretty much embodies transparency, dynamics, and oomph more than any other I can think of if you really wanna get punched in the chest.  Just two more potential options, and best of luck in your search. 

Want it to hit ya, Buchardt A700s.
If they fill the bill sell the A21+.
45 day home trial <$200.
They go lower that the SVS.

@trebuchet  Member @aolprodj replaced his 3.7i with the Tekton Moab. You may want to reach out to him. 

Skip in to about 5:50 for this Maggie owners take on Tekton Double Impacts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RxRTFx6Cd0&t=355s

@millercarbon hah! yes I had watched that about a month ago and that is why my brain is weighing this contrast right now.

If you want oomph Planars are not the answer. 

@fuzztone, thanks. i've not run across Buchardts before.  These are powered beasts eh? interesting. Not used to seeing big towers be powered. 

@mapman right yeap, completely understand and expected this reply. I guess I am looking to a) confirm that going to a bigger planar will not provide the dynamics I'm looking for, and if that is true b) how do I get the same kind of transparency and coherence (in this price range) from a box.  Hence Tekton, since this is what I keep hearing about them. "Perfect midrange" some say, and so on..

I moved from 1.7i to 3.7i and I'm very happy with the way they rock. Plenty of slam and bass plus the soundscape they paint and the purity of sound and instruments. I spent plenty of time auditioning speakers before the 1.7i purchase and just fell in love with the Maggie sound. Moved to the 3.7i unheard when a used pair came up at a great price, just confident I would get more of what I loved and I did
 Running then with Pass 250.8 Ina 12 x 15 room. You should really try to listen to both before you buy.

I recall fond memories when as a youngster I forked out $500 for a pair of Magnepan MG-1's.  They were unlike anything I heard before.  Drove them with Hafler electronics I built from kits.  I upgraded the crossover--get this--with mylar caps!  Many years later I returned to the Magneplaner camp with the 1.7's.  Loved those as well.  Great speakers.  

Eventually I gave the Tekton DI's a try.  It took little time to discern the DI's as the superior transducer.  Better detail.  Better sound stage.  Far better dynamics.  Better extension and just as coherent as the 1.7's.  

So the Moabs seem like an easy pick.

the Svs don’t give you the impact you need?
add a second?
   Wow, that’s an amazing sub!
 Try the,moabs, their friggin huge, and should quash your ears need for impact!

  Then again, those Maggie’s are killer too.

hard decision.  
Good luck

Problem I found: 
 new speakers need your ears to get used to them.   Plus the break in time.

 Planers need any break in ?

only heard Maggie’s few times at stereo shops, always very impressed by their open enveloping sound. Never could afford the good ones.

 Would love to get the Sanders sound speakers. As he darn near invented them, the curved and even the flat panels.
  I love reading Roger Sanders website. His speakers are amazing, if unsure, check them out. They are amazing,and built by one of the originators of the panel,speaker. 

If you like the sound of your Maggies but want more dynamics and power in the bass, you might want to consider dynamic open baffle speakers. Check out Spatials or GR-Research. 

I've owned a number of different Magnepans over the years including MG 3.6r and Tympani IVs because I love the open, airy soundstage they produce, but I always missed the dynamics when I had them. 

I now have GR-Research NX-Oticas with servo Open Baffle subs, and these deliver the best of both worlds - beautiful open airy soundstage with excellent dynamics and bass energy. 

Unless you can find a used pair, most of the GR-Research speakers require you to put them together, but if you aren't into DIY, there are other open baffle dynamic speakers that might work well for you.

Tre,

In my case I replaced Magnepans with Ohm Walsh 5—- .   

Like anything where you will spend some coin, it would be worth an audition.  Having said that I love my Magnepan 3.7is.  I have them paired with a couple of subwoofers (L/R channel).  As you probably already know, Magis work best with  a high-current amplifier (I’m driving mine with a Musical Fidelity NuVista 800 integrated amplifier).  Good luck on your purchase!
Gorm

I have two friends with large listening rooms with high vaulted ceilings. Both with large speakers and subwoofers.  No bass.  Personally I think you run into a problem that it is very difficult to pressurize a big room to get adequate bass and dynamics.

@trebuchet

in my large room (20x18 with vaulted 18ft ceiling, leading into open kitchen) it just does not deliver the uumph that I am wanting when I want to "feel" the music hit me

As others have already said, in light of the above the answer to your dilemma is Moab, without a doubt! 
Your Parasound seems more than adequate to drive a pair of Moabs.

I had a similar dilemma recently. I ended up going from Magnepan 1.7s to 3.7is. The WAF was a consideration in my case, but it ended up being okay with her that I went with the bigger speakers. I was considering Martin Logans - the 11s I think it was - or Vandersteen Trio CTs (IF I could find them used and in good condition! You can find the Martin Logans used, the Trios, not so much.). Bottom line - I was too afraid that I'd spend more money for a downgrade in the sound that I prefer. I've auditioned Maggies against box speakers when I bought the 1.7's - I can't even remember the brands that they were - but there was no doubt that I preferred the sound of the Maggies over box speakers that were many times the Maggies' cost. I can tell you that the 3.7is are a big step up from the 1.7 - that true ribbon tweeter is sweet! The soundstage is bigger and deeper too. I am not unhappy, to say the least. It's probably endgame for me.

I have had Moabs for a couple of months now. Sold my 3.7i shortly after getting the Moabs.   Don't miss the Magnepans at all.  The Moabs are special.

I also have Eminent Technology LFT8b, which I feel are the equal or better than the Magnepan 3.7i.  So if you want to consider a less expensive option, I would strongly recommend the Eminent Technology over the Magnepan 3.7i.  

Prescribing a solution without a better idea of your tastes and music preferences is a common error on these pages.  Do you want more impact from acoustic live-to-2 channel ensembles (whether classical, folk or jazz) or EDM?  It makes a big difference.  Maggie 3.7is have plenty of "slam" for the former category, but not enough for the latter.  Classic rock sounds great on them too, up to a point.  Is that point enough for you?They are a whole nuther level above 1.7s, as said by others, and are a screaming value. But if you want to raise the dynamic ceiling up by a lot, you have to go with a big box big, cone area solution like the Tektons.  Also seek out an audition of McIntosh XR100s...more moolah, but in the same general design philosophy as the Tektons.  Much prettier, too.

Do you want more impact from acoustic live-to-2 channel ensembles (whether classical, folk or jazz) or EDM? It makes a big difference. Maggie 3.7is have plenty of "slam" for the former category, but not enough for the latter. Classic rock sounds great on them too, up to a point. Is that point enough for you?

@crusty Great questions. I will answer with a couple examples rather than try to describe. I have on my favorites these:

These sound great..
* classical (mostly Bach ranging from his organ works to orchestral and passions) - all these sound fabulous on my current setup
* piano jazz (e.g. Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans) - sounds equally stellar

These I feel I need more.. (note this is with the sub engaged. The sub does add depth but does not satisfy the overall dynamics I am looking for)
* electronic/rock - Mutemath is a good example of this (they are hard to categorize so forgive me). Not enough live feel and kick here. Current setup does a 7/10 job.
* Electronic, e.g. Daft Punk Random Access Memories album. I’d say I am 7/10 on this one. 1.7’s do not handle the dynamics and Steely Dan type of funk well, at least not in my venue.
* Folk rock such as Delta by Mumford and Sons. Dynamics are not represented well here either, probably 6/10 rating.
* Biggest disappointment of it all comes with really dynamic soundtracks, such as Interstellar (Hans Zimmer) - I would give this 5/10 rating. There are several tracks on there with a very large dynamic range. No Time for Caution is a great example. This track I want to feel. If you have heard it you will know what I mean. It’s very emotional, very moving, it needs to be felt down deep and it needs to shock you. The feeling I get from the 1.7i’s on this track is that I have a compressor/limiter in the signal path :(. When the crescendo comes, I feel "is that it?".  I also know that I am at the upper limit of excursion on this track when it hits the peak, so there is a raw listening level issue as well.  I get it that this soundtrack has a ton of low-end and that is def not the specialty of planars. That is probably a large part of it

I had a similar dilemma recently. I ended up going from Magnepan 1.7s to 3.7is. ... I can tell you that the 3.7is are a big step up from the 1.7 - that true ribbon tweeter is sweet! The soundstage is bigger and deeper too.

@thewetdog59 thank you. Hearing good things on both of my options here. Also agree with @gormdane that I should audition, however I do not know how I would be able to pull this off. Would love too though, specially in my own home. That would definitely be ideal.

I have had Moabs for a couple of months now. Sold my 3.7i shortly after getting the Moabs.  Don't miss the Magnepans at all. The Moabs are special.

I also have Eminent Technology LFT8b, which I feel are the equal or better than the Magnepan 3.7i. So if you want to consider a less expensive option, I would strongly recommend the Eminent Technology over the Magnepan 3.7i.

@jlarryk thanks. If planar is the answer, categorically, I will be sure to check out ETs.  The fact that you don't miss the 3.7is now that you have Moabs is very interesting.  Did you not sense the loss of any soundstage, transparency, cohesion across frequencies?  What types of music do you and did you listen to in both, if you don't mind me asking?

I listen to all kinds of music. Don’t get me wrong the Magnepans are wonderful. The Moabs are way more dynamic. The bass is the best I have had. The high efficiency of the Moabs, affords the use of some very special lower power amplifiers that simply did not work with the Magnepans. Soundstage, imaging and dynamics on the Moabs is first rate

If you want slam-me-in-the-chest bass like you used to hear at hard-rock band concerts, you need two stacks of 24" woofers about 30 feet high.

Other than that, the Maggies are transparent, so garbage in, garbage out. I suppose you can add a few Hartley 24" woofers if you want that old-day BANG you are seeking.

Funny, I wonder where everyone making box speakers today got the idea for "tall" speakers?  It couldn't be from Jim Winey, right?

Of course not.  Before Magnepan, people listened to Klipschorns, I think.

Enjoy!

where’s Kenjit when we need him?

@richopp 
I believe a nice pair of ATC 300 ASL would do :-)

@trebuchet
I have no listening experience with the Tekton Mohabs but I recently auditioned the Maggie 20.7i and 3.7i.  I chose the 20.7i, but the 3.7i were very similar in tonal quality and the holographic soundstage lots of folks equate with Maggies.

I decided on the 20.7i's because of the large mid-bass panels and I thought they may not need a subwoofer.  Well as many Maggie owners do I ended up adding a subwoofer and happy I did so, 

I keep the sub volume very low and a low pass frequency of 50Hz and a slope of 18 dB so as not to interfere with the terrific mid-bass sound the Maggie's produce.  This produces the uumph that you may be seeking.

I mention this as adding a sub to the 3.7i's will likely get very close to the overall sound I get from the 20.7i's as they share the same ribbon tweeter and the mid bass panel size is close.

Hope this helps.

I love love love my Emeralds Physics KC11s open baffle, highly efficient very reasonable MSRP, BUT, factory is moving and they are offering incredible deals. My KC11s MSRP $1999, now $995, and I have already ordered 2.8s which should trounce the 20.1s, whicle being very efficient and much smaller foot print, but...


I saw an ad for Genesis 6.1: MSRP 11000, but the seller want only $4000 says in perfect condition
If I had the 4K I wouldn’t be writing this  https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649571418-genesis-61-speakers-in-perfect-shape-own-it/

hth

I have heard a couple of pair of Tektons and was not overly impressed.Have had very limited experience with them and could not tell you what the amplification was or if they were properly set up in the room. On the other hand, I have loved every pair of Maggie .7i speakers that I have heard (1.7i, 3.7i & .7i). I heard the 1.7i speakers in Deerfield Beach, Florida driven by a Primaluna Dialogue Premium (medium powered tube integrated) amplifier. Heard the .7i and 3.7 I in Fairless Hills, PA powered by Parasound JC one (High powered solid state ) mono blocks. Both were among the best in-store auditions I have ever heard! Unfortunately, my wife says no. She does not like the look. She loves the Focal 1028BE speakers that are in that system and has made me promise not to ever sell them! I use a small JL audio sub and have owned SVS in the past. Both are excellent.

No brainer. 3.7i. Tekton speakers are poorly designed and manufactured. The only reason the are popular is because the are cheep and for some reason certain audiophiles like to see a bunch of tweeters staring at them. The result is poor imaging. Get the 3.7i's and a pair of JC1+ amps!
Now that is a system. 

+1 for Mapman: 

@Trebuchet:  I had a nice pair of Martin Logan Monoliths and even with the cone woofer, I didn’t get that slam I wanted even using class A biased amps.  I would love to have a pair of Maggie’s for a different sound, when desired though.  I don’t think you’ll find a planer speaker to give you the slam you’re wanting and because most planers  are very sensitive to placement, you’ll probably not be able to have the best of both worlds with them  sitting beside one another either.I love the sound of Wilson speakers and think you can find either a nice pair of demos, or a good used pair, way below retail.  With the right amp, you’ll get plenty  of slam.  Keep in mind-in my opinion, there’s nothing better than a high current amp, to give you that quick response and slam, paired with a conventional coned driver.
Steve

Also check out Pure Audio Project. Open baffle like a Maggie but with dynamic drivers for the punch. 

I've owned the Tekton Impact Monitors for two years, and have spent an evening with the Moabs. I've also been auditioning the Maggie 1.7is in my home for the past month and a half. The Maggies are an impressive speaker, and I like them very much, but the edge for detail and dynamics goes to the Tektons. The Moabs take things to an even better place. You won't go wrong with the Tektons. 

Big Maggies have plenty of slam, especially the 3-panel models (Tympani's, 30.7), In fact, you haven't heard midbass until you've heard it coming from a big Maggie (or the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub).

I have Double Impacts as well as 3.7i's in a large room. The 3.7i's with subs hit me real good! The Double Impacts are fun, but they don't have the finesse I get from the Maggies.

I went from having Maggie 20.1 for many years to Moab’s. I loved what the Maggie’s do. To my ears, my friends ears and my wife’s ears.. the Moab’s are another level. In a well treated room with quality equipment, hold on tight. Not sure why anyone would say “poor imaging”.. in the dark people have asked me what center channel speaker I use. They’re surprised when I show them there isn’t one. 

While I’ve never been a fan on judging a speaker at an audio show and much prefer judging it in my own room, I have never heard a Tekton or Zu speaker I liked.  I attend every large audio show in the U.S. and I‘ve heard the Moab, Double Impact, Pendragon, and Lore just to name a few in over a dozen setups.  To my ears, and the ears of a friend of mine who is an audio reviewer...the tweeter design sounds “muddy.”  As if someone poured maple syrup over the drivers.  I get the sensation of wanting to take Windex to a window covered in dirt.  Where’s the clarity? Where’s the air around the instruments?  To these ears, nowhere to be found.  I have come to discover that I personally do not like the sound of Eminence pro drivers, which are found in many Tekton and Zu designs.  To me, they sound like pro drivers that don’t belong in hi-fi.  Your ears may tell you differently.  And no, I do not like overly bright speakers either. I don’t love Focal or KEF speakers, but I’ll take a pair from those manufacturers over a Tekton any day.  

If you plan on buying a speaker without auditioning, why entertain buying speakers that have such a love/hate reputation when you can gravitate towards universally loved and acclaimed speakers that aren’t so divisive?  When it comes to Tekton and Zu, always audition first.  You might hate them, you might love them.  But what you’ll really hate is having to box up those massive speakers and ship them back if you don’t.  Reach out to a forum member in your area and request an audition first, it’s a must with these speakers.  

great suggestion @alexbpm; anyone have Moabs in the 831/408 (CA bay area) I could listen to?   Almost ready to drive to Utah!

I too have a very large room with 16 ft ceiliings and it is VERY difficult to get that killer bass in the room. I’ve been trying to get the room corrected for about 12 years....things help, but even Richard Vandersteen himself who set up my 5A’s told me its almost impossible.

My room is ~ 20 x 35 x 12 with one side open up/down stairwell

I had Maggie 3.5Rs + 2 SVS powered subs, couldn't get a seamless blend even with an active XO

I now have Emerald Physics 3.4s (open baffle, 12" driver with concentric polyester tweeter) which do amazingly well on most music. But I still want a bit more impact which either 2.8s or 4.2s will deliver. They can be purchased used if you're patient. IMHO, best speaker bargain


hth

No brainer. The 3.7i handily presents a more detailed and realistic sound stage. It generates much less room interaction but t is not going to do 110dB. So, if you are a head banger it is not the speaker for you. The Maggies are also more demanding of a good amp. Forget about any class D amp. Pass amps and the JC 1's sound glorious. Think class A.
Adding subs will give you low bass and clean up the Maggies a little but it will not get you more headroom. You should be able to do an effortless 95 dB which is as loud as I usually listen. The Maggies are line sources. You will need 4 subwoofer to match up right. 
The Tektons are IMHO some of the worst loudspeakers ever made. They are made as cheaply as possible but they will go loud for a while anyway. 

As an owner of the Moabs, just go for it. They will work well in your room and lots of oomph!