Heard the Maggie 3.7 today for the first time

[jasont]

After reading the many great reviews of the 3.7, I've been curious about them. I mostly listen to rock and I've heard Maggies don't have the bass and slam to do a proper job with it but I wanted to hear for myself. I'm trying to hear as many different speakers as I can.

This was a quick listen though, just to get an idea of what they were capable of. They were hooked up to an ARC DSPre, DS225 and some Esoteric CD player (I didn't pay attention to the model as I don't need a CD player).

Overall I really liked them with the couple of songs I heard. I did notice a slight lack of body to the music but perhaps adding a good sub would take care of that?

One "troubling" thing though, was when we played AC/DC Back In Black. There was definitely some harshness or a hard edge to the guitar and vocal in some parts of the song. This would definitely quickly become fatiguing to me. And we weren't playing them too loud (~40 - 43 on the ARC DSPre).

So I'm wondering what may have caused that? I know there are many factors involved but are Maggies generally known for a potential harsh upper-mid, lower treble region? I'm not really seeing any mention of it in reviews. Perhaps it could be attributed to the gear or room? Or maybe AC/DC is just fatiguing :D

For what it's worth, hearing that same song 10 minutes later through Sashas, ARC LS27, Ref150 and a Linn Klimax DS-thing didn't have that harshness :drool:

[dpod4]

I am very sensitive to shrill edgy forwardness and prefer warmth and weight.

I imagine the digital arc amp may have contributed and wonder if the dealer removed the attenuators. My 3.7s driven by CJ solid state or VAC tube amp is not bright or harsh at all.

[jasont]

I am very sensitive to shrill edgy forwardness and prefer warmth and weight.

I imagine the digital arc amp may have contributed and wonder if the dealer removed the attenuators. My 3.7s driven by CJ solid state or VAC tube amp is not bright or harsh at all.

It seems odd that the ARC might not pair well with them. I believe its bigger brother the DS450 is a common and well-regarded mate. If I ended up going this route and wanted to stick with the DS225 I'd try an LS27 and see if that improves things.

Regarding removing the attenuators, I can ask. Is that something that one should or shouldn't do? Or does it depend on your gear? I have a lot to learn...

Thanks!

[dpod4]

It seems odd that the ARC might not pair well with them. I believe its bigger brother the DS450 is a common and well-regarded mate. If I ended up going this route and wanted to stick with the DS225 I'd try an LS27 and see if that improves things.

Regarding removing the attenuators, I can ask. Is that something that one should or shouldn't do? Or does it depend on your gear? I have a lot to learn...

Thanks!

My older bro has the 20.1s paired with ARC hybrid amp - and it was a bit forward for me. I find the ARC gear to be on the cooler side of the spectrum and if room acoustics plus resistors/attenuators are absent and panels not broken in then all that plus cabling (my dealer used nordost with Ayre amp which was fast but strident) could make it a bit forward. The resistors are simple to add or remove - one for tweeter and one for midrange on each speaker. Magnepan recommends using both during break in and the tweeter attenuators even after break in. Throttles down hi freq relative lower freq. And I run a sub which adds more foundation/weight. I have heard very few speakers I would use without a sub (Vandersteen). Good luck.

14268

I have a jumper for midrange and duelund .6 cast resistor for tweeter.

[audiot servant]

After reading the many great reviews of the 3.7, I've been curious about them. I mostly listen to rock and I've heard Maggies don't have the bass and slam to do a proper job with it but I wanted to hear for myself. I'm trying to hear as many different speakers as I can.

This was a quick listen though, just to get an idea of what they were capable of. They were hooked up to an ARC DSPre, DS225 and some Esoteric CD player (I didn't pay attention to the model as I don't need a CD player).

Overall I really liked them with the couple of songs I heard. I did notice a slight lack of body to the music but perhaps adding a good sub would take care of that?

One "troubling" thing though, was when we played AC/DC Back In Black. There was definitely some harshness or a hard edge to the guitar and vocal in some parts of the song. This would definitely quickly become fatiguing to me. And we weren't playing them too loud (~40 - 43 on the ARC DSPre).

So I'm wondering what may have caused that? I know there are many factors involved but are Maggies generally known for a potential harsh upper-mid, lower treble region? I'm not really seeing any mention of it in reviews. Perhaps it could be attributed to the gear or room? Or maybe AC/DC is just fatiguing :D

For what it's worth, hearing that same song 10 minutes later through Sashas, ARC LS27, Ref150 and a Linn Klimax DS-thing didn't have that harshness :drool:

I love the 3.7s but if you listen to mostly rock I would be looking somewhere else IMO... they can really boogie now that the 3.7s have a bit more bottom end grunt but they are not necessarily the best horses for heavy metal courses...

I would think if you were hearing glare it could be coming out of a combo of unhappy elements as Darrin suggested, or something still settling in or a mid range etching in the cables...

I used running the 3.7s naked with jumpers instead of resistors as a goal when pairing gear with them always going for transparency without hardness or grain as a primary characteristic... if the Maggies have enough hours up on them and you are hearing things amiss in the mids that they are only revealing a glare somewhere else in the system as they are indeed capable of a breathtakingly exquisite midrange.

PS If I were listening to Sasha's, Ref 150 and LS 27 and hearing anything other than bliss I'd be giving the game up there and then :tears:

[jasont]

My older bro has the 20.1s paired with ARC hybrid amp - and it was a bit forward for me. I find the ARC gear to be on the cooler side of the spectrum and if room acoustics plus resistors/attenuators are absent and panels not broken in then all that plus cabling (my dealer used nordost with Ayre amp which was fast but strident) could make it a bit forward. The resistors are simple to add or remove - one for tweeter and one for midrange on each speaker. Magnepan recommends using both during break in and the tweeter attenuators even after break in. Throttles down hi freq relative lower freq. And I run a sub which adds more foundation/weight. I have heard very few speakers I would use without a sub (Vandersteen). Good luck.

14268

I have a jumper for midrange and duelund .6 cast resistor for tweeter.

Thanks for the info. I need to research all of these tweaks.

I would definitely run a REL G2 (or two) with them if I was to go that route.

Along with ARC this dealer also carries McIntosh, Boulder, Ayre, Linn, Naim, Rega, etc. Out of those choices it seems like I might want to try Mac as well, if I too find ARC too cool.

Again, I appreciate all the info!

[jasont]

I love the 3.7s but if you listen to mostly rock I would be looking somewhere else IMO... they can really boogie now that the 3.7s have a bit more bottom end grunt but they are not necessarily the best horses for heavy metal courses...

I would think if you were hearing glare it could be coming out of a combo of unhappy elements as Darrin suggested, or something still settling in or a mid range etching in the cables...

I used running the 3.7s naked with jumpers instead of resistors as a goal when pairing gear with them always going for transparency without hardness or grain as a primary characteristic... if the Maggies have enough hours up on them and you are hearing things amiss in the mids that they are only revealing a glare somewhere else in the system as they are indeed capable of a breathtakingly exquisite midrange.

Yeah, I keep hearing that these aren't the best for rock but I'm stubborn and want to verify that for myself, especially if I introduce a good sub into the mix :D

The dealer said that the 3.7s had about 600 hours (IIRC), that the ARC DS225 should be broken in but the DSPre was new and only had about 50 hours on it. When I mentioned the harshness he speculated it was likely the room plus that AC/DC already has some of that built in.

PS If I were listening to Sasha's, Ref 150 and LS 27 and hearing anything other than bliss I'd be giving the game up there and then :tears:

Yeah, this setup did not suck. I've heard Sophias and Sashas and really like both of them but they're too spendy for me. I've also heard Duettes and could maybe swing those. They're an option.

[Rayooo]

I'd agree with audiot servant that if you are predominately rock oriented, 3.7s might not cut it. They do have quite a bit more slam than 3.6s...but still no body-blows from deep bass.

If you like the overall sound of 3.7s, then matching with a good sub (or pair of) would be a consideration for sure.

I do run the 1ohm Cast resistors on the tweeters.. the high end on these 3.7s "should" be magical all else being equal. I listen to a wide range of music for hours on end, and these are the least fatiguing speakers I've ever owned. just my 2 cents worth. :yes:

[dpod4]

I'd agree with audiot servant that if you are predominately rock oriented, 3.7s might not cut it. They do have quite a bit more slam than 3.6s...but still no body-blows from deep bass.

If you like the overall sound of 3.7s, then matching with a good sub (or pair of) would be a consideration for sure.

I do run the 1ohm Cast resistors on the tweeters.. the high end on these 3.7s "should" be magical all else being equal. I listen to a wide range of music for hours on end, and these are the least fatiguing speakers I've ever owned. just my 2 cents worth. :yes:

I agree with Rayoo and Audio servant. If I only listened to rock I might steer toward Vandersteens (very impressive speakers). My 3.7s with a 15" sub do have slam tho. The 3.7s are steady at 4 ohms but like a lot of current and watts especially at louder listening levels. I can hear more slam and air moving from my CJ 600 watts per channel into 4 ohms amp versus my 150 VAC tube amp, although for my listening preferences (volume and types of music) the VAC is plenty. I have heard Maggie owners say the Pass Labs xa 100.5 amps are magic pairing. And last i chrcked there is a Moscode 402au hybrid amp for sale on audiogon from company owner at great price which is supposed to be magic with maggies (drive, warmth, holographic etc). Jeff Dorgay at toneaudio is the expert I turned to when I got my 3.7s since he had run many amps on maggies. Good luck!

[bradleyc]

Maggies give you great detail and transparency, a harsh sounding poorly-mastered disc is going to cause digititis, this version won't :D

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/bradleyc_01/Miscellaneous%20Photos/AC-DC-Back-In-Black.jpg

[audiot servant]

Maggies give you great detail and transparency, a harsh sounding poorly-mastered disc is going to cause digititis, this version won't :D

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/bradleyc_01/Miscellaneous%20Photos/AC-DC-Back-In-Black.jpg

You send us Magnepans and we send you Angus...:rockout: seems like a fair trade...

[bradleyc]

Love me some AC/DC, but my favorite test CD for Maggies is Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon :yes:

[Rayooo]

Don't mean to get off subject, but is there a recommended DSoTM recording these days?

Seems to be half dozen or so around with yet another remaster released in 2011.

I've not played it for years (like everyone else my age, I played it 10,000 times back in the 70's...or whenever it was. :dazed-7:

might be fun to give it a listen again after all this time. :guitar:

[bradleyc]

The Mobile Fidelity gold CD always sounds great, but they've gotten quite expensive these days. The DSOTM SACD sounds really good too. Get one soon before they go out of print and get expensive too, a must have ;)