Magnepan 20.7 Review
 

Absolute Sound review of the new Maggies by J Valin...

Magnepan 20.7 Loudspeaker | AVguide

and according to Mr Valin they are better than the 3.7s... oh well, at least they made it hard work for the new $25k Constellation Centaur amp :D

Darrin, looks like your in for a treat.

cheers
Graham

How do you read the review?

Myles,

Beyond the worst opening par since I don't know when... as a review it is a bit contorted and clouded... the back story might be that Mr Valin has apparently copped some flack lately over perceived big claims for certain gear and maybe a bit of flip flopping on what is this month's version of ultimate best when it comes to audio things.

The review is almost written on the defensive, starting out with a 10 point disclaimer, then it twists and turns to an ultimately positive outcome where the word love even appears... (sorry, not intending to chuck in a spoiler) but certainly not a straight forward journey by any means.

The take away for me as someone who has 3.7s is that in the review it is most straight forward when it comes to the comparison with these 2 models.

Based on what I hear with the 3.7s if the 20.7 betters the 3.7s in all the areas mentioned then the 20.7s will be a definite audition and may well just be my next destination... I love the 3.7s for all the same qualities that the 20.7s apparently now improves upon... thats brilliant... just wish he would have specified how much better... oh well, leaves us something to work out for ourselves.

I can only guess at how complex it might be to negotiate all the hurdles required to write on niche products like high end audio gear where the commercial demands to satisfy all the stakeholders may well be at odds at times... but in the end we take from these things what we can.

All confusion aside - the 20.7s are better than the 3.7s, that's enough for me to want to hear them a lot.

Graham



Why does the word obfuscation always cloud the issue...

It is one strange review. I read it earlier in the week. Ultimately, he likes them a lot.

Mike

I can't wait to upgrade. I heard they will be available June. I wish they were provisioned for biamping tho.

Yep Darrin you Da Man on this one. I'll have to watch from the sideline and cheer you on while sharing in the excitement. Those 20.7's are going to be one awesome set of speakers. :yes: I have read Jacob Heilbrunn's review several times, First Listen: Magnepan. Still waiting for my 3.7's to arrive. :music:

~Mike

Thanks Mike. There is a large part of me that likes the smaller footprint of the 3.7 and worry that bigger isn't necessarily better. It wasn't until the 3.7s entered my system that I stopped having upgrade-itis. It is amazing how after about 300 hours the bass panels on the 3.7s kicked in. Amazing speakers.

I'm happy to wait to hear for myself to be convinced, though initial feedback is looking great. I will also look at other options like upgrading my electronics instead.

If at some stage I do go the 20.7 way it definitely wont be because the 3.7s aren't making me happy.. just that dumb urge to go that bit further... I was so relieved when Jon Valin said the Constellation stereo amp was struggling with the Maggies... I had started to develop delusions of going that way... thank the heavens no Constellation now.

As Darrin says bigger aint necessarily better... the 3.7s have a wholeness that just works.

Also I found gold when the 3.7s hit the 600+ hours, I would be hesitant to spend that time getting things back to the peak again.

Mike, look forward to yours turning up.

Graham

You know, it seems to me that every change I've ever made in my system started a series of events, all of which cost me major money. And, at the end of the day, I often wondered if change for change sake was worth the effort, and I often wished that I'd left well enough alone.

If there is a vast difference in two speakers - or other components - go for it, but if the difference is only marginal - forget it.

As for me, I owned Magnepan/Magneplanar speakers for about 30 years. - almost every version that came along - starting with Tympani 1U, on through the Tympni IVa, then the single panel speakers, and ending with 20.1's.

Then, I moved to a house on a lake, and ultimately the speakers blocked the view of the lake to the degree that my live-in war department convinced me that they were no longer acceptable to our living arrangements.

But, always onward and upward, until, hopefully, some day, I/we realize that what we have is "Good Enough", and as I listen this morning to my little Sonus Faber Guarneri Mementos, I think I may have reached that point.

(Besides I have bigger speakers in another system)

A picture of my big Maggies "blocking the view" follows. . .

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...akers55of1.jpg

I'm not an advocate of domestic violence but those 20.1s did look amazing in that room... you are ofcourse 100% right, sometimes we just can't see the forest (or the lake) for the trees and the real goal is music and realizing when we already have happiness, not just always chasing another kind of happiness.

Graham