New 20.7’s

[tdotson41]

This is my second pair of 20.7’s in less then 2 years. I sold/ gave my first pair to my little brother. Reason being I wanted a different finish. I’ve had my new pair for a little over a month now and I honestly think the 20.7’s are the best bargain hi-end speaker on the market. My local dealer had me on the cusp of ordering a pair of Vandersteen Kēnto’s and I must say they are a great speaker. But to my ears a properly setup pair of 20.7’s beat them at half the price. Again I’m not saying anything bad about the Kēnto’s, I just feel for realism and natural sounding of instruments and voices, the 20.7’s won it for me. Now I have a treated room and have ordered new fuses and stands which I believe will further improve this great speaker. I’m driving them with the stereo version of the VTL Seigfried amplifier (S-400), VTL TL-7.5lll preamp, Linn Klimax DS and a Pro-Ject Carbon RPM 10 turntable. The realism is spectacular and the soundstage is wide and deep. Bad recordings are simply that bad recording. I find that this setup is a truth teller when it comes to that. No additives just straight music. If you don’t have the room or the coin for Magepan’s 30.7’s you won’t be disappointed with the 20.7’s. I’m truly in music heaven with all my favorite jazz musicians past and present. ‘Life is so much better with Music’

[Formerly YB-2]

Congrats! :thumbsup:
If my listening space was amenable to Magnepan speakers I, too, would be listening to them. I agree with you about their realism & "sparkling" presentation like no others. Of course..............

:ttiwwp:

[mjs]

Fortunately my listening space is really only big enough for my 3.7i's. If was bigger I'd want 20.7's and have them further out into the room! I would get comments from the other half on that :nono:

[tdotson41]

here are a few pics

68298

68299

68300

Enjoy!

[Formerly YB-2]

Very nice. as is your choice of music. :thumbsup:

[tdotson41]

Thank you:thumbsup:

[tdotson41]

@mjs if your room or space is big enough for 3.7’s they will surely accommodate 20.7’s. Don’t listen to folks when they say you need enormous space for the bigger Maggie. I started with 1.7i’s and 3.7i’s and moved my 20.7’s in the same spot.

[keef]

Congratulations on a great system. Do you listen to classic rock at all with the 20.7?

[mjs]

@mjs if your room or space is big enough for 3.7’s they will surely accommodate 20.7’s. Don’t listen to folks when they say you need enormous space for the bigger Maggie. I started with 1.7i’s and 3.7i’s and moved my 20.7’s in the same spot.

LOL … don’t think my marriage would survive :damnit::damnit:

[45shooter]

Maggies are hard to beat.... and even harder to part with.

Ive been looking for a set of speakers now for over 1 year to add to the maggies and just havent found the ones for me yet....

[tdotson41]

Congratulations on a great system. Do you listen to classic rock at all with the 20.7?

I do and classic rock sounds equally as good as other genres. Just finish listening to Fleetwood Mac,ZZ Top and the Stones!

[45shooter]

:music:So much music sounds delightful on mine. Steely Dan is playin now

[45shooter]

Missing is the SLAM.

But to add that is gonna cost.........

[tdotson41]

@45shooter have you looked at Vandersteen? Outside of Magnepan their line provides best performance for your buck IMO.

[Andresmith76]

Greetings - I have owned a pair of Magnepan 3.5R's for over 15 years now and am thinking about upgrading to 20.7's. However, in my area there is not a Magnepan vendor available for me to audition the 20.7's. I am asking others in this forum to enlighten me as to what my initial observations & main differences might be after hearing the 20.7's and comparing the 2 models? In particular, I am seeking more "air", openness & realism when listening to music. I enjoy hard/soft rock (AC/DC > Pink Floyd > Fleetwood Mac, etc.) and am using a pair of SVS SB16-Ultra sealed subwoofers, which integrate very nicely with the 3.5R's in my dedicated listening room. Any thoughts, opinions or observations would be appreciated!
Thanks, Andre'

[Masterlu]

Andresmith76… Welcome to AA! :wave:

[Andresmith76]

Thank you, Ivan!:music:

[audio bill]

I've never owned the 20.7, but my experience comparing the 3.5R to 3.7i might be of interest. I found the 3.7i to be a significant step forward from the 3.5R, with notable improvements in driver integration, smoother frequency response, better midrange presence and bass response. I can only imagine how much better the 20.7 would be. Of course as a Magnepan owner you probably realize how much they thrive on quality power, so assuming you have a well matched power amp I can't imagine you wouldn't be thrilled with the upgrade.

[Andresmith76]

I appreciate your comment audio bill! I visited a friend who purchased a pair of LRS+'s earlier this year and to me the openness and air qualities sounded better than my 3.5R's. I'm sure the 20.7's are light-years better than what I'm use to but, just as I would never buy a car without driving it first, I really don't want to spend the kind of money Magnepan wants for the 20.7's without first hearing what I'd be getting.

I'm driving the 3.5's with a QSC GX-5 amplifier - spec'ed at 700 w/per channel at 4 ohms - and there isn't a hint of distortion. The original internal cooling fan on the amp was a bit noisy, so I replaced it with one much quieter. Also, I did send my 3.5's back to Magnepan for refurbishment about 3-4 years ago. The hardest part of doing so was being without them for about 6-7 weeks - pure aural torture!

[tdotson41]

@Andresmith76 I can tell you without a doubt the 20.7 are on a different level than the 3.7i. I truly believe the 20.7 represents the best value in highend audio. Properly setup they give you the speed, realism, air and all the 3D dimensionality that you want. Bass is again real, no bloat or over exaggerated like you get from cone speakers. I bought mine sound unheard as my dealer didn’t have them either and could not be happier.

[Andresmith76]

@Andresmith76 I can tell you without a doubt the 20.7 are on a different level than the 3.7i. I truly believe the 20.7 represents the best value in highend audio. Properly setup they give you the speed, realism, air and all the 3D dimensionality that you want. Bass is again real, no bloat or over exaggerated like you get from cone speakers. I bought mine sound unheard as my dealer didn’t have them either and could not be happier.
tdotson41 - thank you. Your assessment seems to be in sync with what others have said regarding the extreme high-quality sound of the Magnepan 20.7's.
Since my original post, Magnepan has advised the closest vendor having a pair setup for audition is in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As I live in north Denver, it's going to take a while before I can make the trip. I've contacted the vendor and he's told me he also has the 3.7i's and 30.7's setup for comparison. I am so looking forward to this tour of aural indulgence!

[KahunaCanuck]

My 2 cents, go with REL over SVS for the sub support! I've had both (as well as JL)...

[Andresmith76]

My 2 cents, go with REL over SVS for the sub support! I've had both (as well as JL)...
I've also used REL subs - in particular 2 ea. Storm III units. In my opinion, the SB-16 Ultra's go much deeper and sound more solid below 50-45 Hz. I also appreciate the SVS phone app that allows the user to tweak and adjust the the sub's amplifier parameters real-time - much more accurate, easier to tweak and dial in listening from the main listening position. I've been able to integrate the SVS's nicely with my 3.5R's and have received similar positive comments from others saying the same. I'll start with upgrading my Magnepan's and listen to how well the SVS's "play" with them before making any more purchase decisions.