EXPIRED Wanted Magnepan 3..7i or 20.7/20.7R Floorstanding Loudspeakers

Interesting WTB!  

20.7s will sound a helluva lot better than 3.7s ... but they also need a more powerful/current producing amp.  

However, both I suggest ... will deliver a better sound than your Ambience 1800s.

Note - you said: "I”m keen to try a full range ribbon."

Maggies are not a "full range ribbon".

Both the 3.7s and the 20.Xs are 3-way spkrs - they have:

• a woofer panel
• a mid-range panel
• and a (the same!) ribbon tweeter.

The ribbon tweeter crosses over to the mid panel at a much higher frequency than your Ambience ribbons cross over to the cone woofers ... so it is thinner - and goes much higher than the Ambience ribbon does.

The 'panels' are aluminium foil glued to a mylar sheet.

Just so you know.  

Of course, only the tweeter will be a ribbon, even the $200k ish Perigee Definitive are very similar in this respect, it was more the focus of a proper full range dipole planar with a ribbon I meant, but figured I would try to keep the description a tad shorter hah, It’s more to try non-cone bass with the ribbon.

do you think the 3.6r is worth exploring as a low cost option or is there a significant upgrade going to the latest 3.7i?

I should also put out there that I would consider the 30.7 but I’m sure the price I can afford would be rather different to the price whoever owns them would be looking for..

  On 13/09/2024 at 10:53 AM, Gremrock said:

Of course, only the tweeter will be a ribbon, even the $200k ish Perigee Definitive are very similar in this respect, it was more the focus of a proper full range dipole planar with a ribbon I meant, but figured I would try to keep the description a tad shorter hah, It’s more to try non-cone bass with the ribbon.

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Then WTF didn't you just say that?  

  On 13/09/2024 at 10:53 AM, Gremrock said:

do you think the 3.6r is worth exploring as a low cost option or is there a significant upgrade going to the latest 3.7i?

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Compared to your Ambiances ... if you have a suitable amp - then yes!

I think there are a couple of differences between the 3.6s and 3.7s/3.7is:

1. certainly, the 3.7 series uses 6dB series XOs (whereas the 3.6 uses parallel XOs - and higher than 6dB slopes).
2. the 3.7 panels use foil on both bass & mid-range sections - whereas the 3.6 uses foil only on one section.

  On 13/09/2024 at 10:53 AM, Gremrock said:

I should also put out there that I would consider the 30.7 but I’m sure the price I can afford would be rather different to the price whoever owns them would be looking for.

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30.7s are a significant step up from 20.7s - but yes I am sure they don't go cheap.  And you need even more amp grunt than 20.7s!

I’d planned to use the Esoteric F05 which is good j to 4 ohms at least, to get a feel for them and see how they go, the ambience are 4ohm but don’t dip too much further as I understand, but are also around 5 times as efficient as the Maggie’s so it’s not working hard..

if I like them I would probably sell the Esoteric and chase up a supratek and a Magtech* or preferably another Magnus.

all of this of course will require a second mortgage or maybe a third 

  On 13/09/2024 at 11:32 AM, Gremrock said:

I’d planned to use the Esoteric F05 which is good to 4 ohms at least, to get a feel for them and see how they go, the ambience are 4ohm but don’t dip too much further as I understand, but are also around 5 times as efficient as the Maggie’s so it’s not working hard..

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I would think your F05 - at 120w into 8 ohms and 240w into 4 ohms would certainly drive 3.6s or 3.7s ... but wouldn't bring out their best sound.  (In my active true-ribbon, 3-way Maggies, I had 100w/180w on my bass panels alone.  With 70w/130w amps on my mids ... as well as my ribbons.)

  On 13/09/2024 at 11:32 AM, Gremrock said:

if I like them I would probably sell the Esoteric and chase up a supratek and a Magnus or preferably another Magnus.

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Supratek - you really must be joking!    If you want tubes ... then you need to consider a pair of Audio Research 250SE monoblocs ... or at least a VTL S200.

'Magnus' - I'm not familiar with; do you mean a '(Sanders) Magtech'?  Wonderful amp - the goto amp for Maggie owners.    500w into 8 ohms and 900w into 4 ohms.

The March Audio (Class D) P421 monoblocs would also be a contender.

This is the Magnus,

https://www.magnusaudio.com/MA-430.html

I would look at this or the MA500.

They state 50/60v output respectively for the 430/500 models, I imagine this is the important figure for controlling the Maggie’s properly?

I understand the magtech is kind of the “perfect amp” for Maggie’s but I’d be surprised if the Magnus doesn’t sound better for a bit more money. It’s hard to find specs on how any amps output really behaves into different loads though.. 

currently I’m considering the idea of bringing a pair of 20.7 over from the states, but the tricky bit (other than finding a buyer for a kidney to afford them..) is freight.

Im curious if anybody has shipped anything similar for size and how/who was used etc, or if anyone has dealt directly with Magnepan for this sort of thing as whatever I get would likely go to them for a once over before coming home.

lastly, @andyr as something of a guru on these things, how hard/costly is it to change the grill colour on them? Do they just click off or are they glued in place?

I personally don’t mind the white or cream, but the wife is pretty against anything but black grills. It would be good to know we could just have them re covered if I make the wrong decision haha.

I’d be open to suggestions on amps from anyone with actual experience with them on the Maggie’s, and like the idea of integrated but I don’t know of much (that I could pick up for $5-10k) that will actually handle anything under 4ohm and improve on the esoteric. 

  On 14/09/2024 at 11:21 PM, Gremrock said:

This is the Magnus,

https://www.magnusaudio.com/MA-430.html

I would look at this or the MA500.

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The 430 looks like a a great amp for the big Maggies ... the 500 even more so!  

  On 14/09/2024 at 11:21 PM, Gremrock said:

They state 50/60v output respectively for the 430/500 models, I imagine this is the important figure for controlling the Maggie’s properly?

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I think it's more how much current the output devices can deliver that makes them suitable for Maggies.  The voltage output influences the amount of power which the amp can supply before clipping.

  On 14/09/2024 at 11:21 PM, Gremrock said:

I understand the magtech is kind of the “perfect amp” for Maggie’s but I’d be surprised if the Magnus doesn’t sound better for a bit more money. It’s hard to find specs on how any amps output really behaves into different loads though.. 

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As I said - the published specs suggest the Magnus are great amps for Maggies.

  On 14/09/2024 at 11:21 PM, Gremrock said:

currently I’m considering the idea of bringing a pair of 20.7 over from the states, but the tricky bit (other than finding a buyer for a kidney to afford them..) is freight.

Im curious if anybody has shipped anything similar for size and how/who was used etc, or if anyone has dealt directly with Magnepan for this sort of thing as whatever I get would likely go to them for a once over before coming home.

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I believe Magnepan will supply genuine shipping cases (or at least ... they used to).  So if you had a helpful seller, he could order a shipping case from Magnepan and then send them to Magnepan for an overhaul.  Then Magnepan would send them on to you.

Re. shipping cost - obviously, 20.7s would cost more than 3.7s ... but I would still think it would be cheaper than trying to buy a pair in Oz (and get them shipped).  Plus, by buying in the US ... you're able to get Magnepan to refurbish them.

  On 14/09/2024 at 11:21 PM, Gremrock said:

lastly, @andyr as something of a guru on these things, how hard/costly is it to change the grill colour on them? Do they just click off or are they glued in place?

I personally don’t mind the white or cream, but the wife is pretty against anything but black grills. It would be good to know we could just have them re covered if I make the wrong decision haha.

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3.7s are pretty simple to change grills (remove the wooden sides and take off a million staples on the bottom edge); 20.7s more effort.

But as Magnepan would have to take the grills off when they refurbished them ... you would simply request they installed black grills, afterwards.

Good luck - I think you'll have a wonderful system with a pair of 3.7s and a Manus amp.