i-upgrade worth $5000?

[Sceptic]

Those of you who have upgraded your 3.7´s to i status or have heard both with the same equipment in the same room, how would you describe the difference?
In my case I would trade in my 3.7´s for the "i" (i-upgrade not possible in Europe)

Magnepan´s description indicates that there is a subtle difference and since my trade in price here in Sweden would be approx $5000 I am a little hesitant. Better wait for the 3.8....
"In past model improvements, driver changes and factory retooling were extensive. It is rare when improvements can be made that are audible in a blind test and do not require a major investment. So, in view of this good fortune, we chose to pass on these small improvements rather than save them for a 3.8.

Will you be able to hear the difference between the 3.7 and 3.7i? Yes, in a careful A-B test, but we don't do sales hype. It is not a 3.8."

What do you guys think?

[nicoff]

Originally Posted by Sceptic

Those of you who have upgraded your 3.7´s to i status or have heard both with the same equipment in the same room, how would you describe the difference? In my case I would trade in my 3.7´s for the "i" (i-upgrade not possible in Europe) Magnepan´s description indicates that there is a subtle difference and since my trade in price here in Sweden would be approx $5000 I am a little hesitant. Better wait for the 3.8.... "In past model improvements, driver changes and factory retooling were extensive. It is rare when improvements can be made that are audible in a blind test and do not require a major investment. So, in view of this good fortune, we chose to pass on these small improvements rather than save them for a 3.8. Will you be able to hear the difference between the 3.7 and 3.7i? Yes, in a careful A-B test, but we don't do sales hype. It is not a 3.8." What do you guys think?

This article describes the difference between the 3.7 and the 3.7i.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/arti...peaker/?page=2

That article states that Magnepan charges $500 to update a 3.7 to 3.7i. So you are talking about about spending 10 times that amount. In my book, that is too much money.

You can probably pay for shipping your speakers to Magnepan and back, pay for the upgrade and still save a couple thousand dollars.

[mgard]

Hi Sceptic,

If you are pleased with the sound you are getting, I would wait till the next new model comes out. I upgraded my 3.7's to the 3.7.i and noticed that the highs were not as bright/glaring. That was the change I was most looking for. The whole speaker has a warmer presentation and the bass I felt was better too. Now the bass improvement may be from better positioning in my room. I was trying to dial them in. It is amazing how much the sound can change as to where they are positioned. Of course this is true of any speaker.

~Mike

[Sceptic]

Thanks, the warmer presentation is probably due to the fact that they have added damping tape behind the midrange.



When I asked Wendell about this he replied; "What tape?"

There has been speculation regarding a looser bass panel, etc but according to a person I know who is renovating a pair of Tympani 1D´s that would require new bass panels and would be far more costly than $500.

[mgard]

He was pulling a Sargent Schultz from Hogen's Heroes, "I know nothing"!! Whatever they did was a positive improvement for me.