Magnepan Magneplanar 3.7i Speakers
3.7i — 2014 “Product of the Year”
The Absolute Sound magazine, January 2015 “…s the 3.7i, then, a value? Hardly, it is a steal.”
Axpona Chicago show (2015) awards —
Jonathan Valin of The Absolute Sound —
Best Sound (cost-no-object): Magnepan 3.7i driven by Pass Labs and sourced by exaSound. The most natural and realistic sound at the show.
Most Coveted Product: Magnepan 3.7i.
(Note that Jonathon was covering speakers $20,000 and up and awarded the room with 3.7is “Best Sound (cost-no-object)”)
Julie Mullens of The Absolute Sound —
Best Sound (for the money): Paired with the upgraded exaSound e22 Mk. II DAC and Pass Labs’ X250.8 amps, the Maggie 3.7i’s stole the show. Simply put, they are priced at $5995, but sound like a million bucks.
Jim Hannon of The Absolute Sound —
Best Sound (for the money): The Magnepan 3.7i driven by Pass Labs X250.8 with an exaSound e12 DAC put many more costly systems to shame. It sounds more like the real thing than you’d imagine.
Andre Jennings of The Absolute Sound–
Best Sound (for the money): exaSound e12 & e22 Mark II DAC/Pass Labs X250.8 amplifier/ Magnepan 3.7i speakers playing DSD 256 files.
First, came the 3.7 —
The 3.7 is a 3-way design, like the 3.6, but, it is a full-range ribbon design, like the highly acclaimed 1.7. We are calling it “trickle-up” technology. The concepts that worked so well in the 1.7 were incorporated in the 3.7.
The 3.7 was subjected to “blind testing” by a panel of audiophiles and casual listeners. In addition to better sound, there is one more important improvement that you can test for yourself. If you have the opportunity to hear the 3.7s at your local dealer, try this experiment—Ask the dealer to place the speakers with the tweeters on the outside. Note how the imaging remains remarkably stable when seated far off-axis. With some speakers it is necessary to sit in the “sweet spot” for good imaging. If you are too far out of the sweet spot, you will hear predominately one speaker. With the tweeters on the outside, the 3.7 has the widest sweet spot of any of any previous Maggies. If you prefer to sit only in the “sweet spot”, try the tweeters on the inside. Be sure the speakers are toed-in. In all cases, the tweeter should not be closer to the listener than the bass section.
The introduction of the 3.7 during CES 2011 was very similar to the introduction of the 1.7 during CES 2010. In their show coverage, www.theaudiobeat.com summed up the reaction of many who heard the 3.7 at the Audio Research and Magnepan rooms — “In terms of high-end audio in early 2011, we don’t know of a more important and impressive debut than that of the 3.7.”
http://reviews.audioreview.com/ces-2011-magnepan-3-7-melody-zu-audio-pro-ject-totem
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/ces2011/ces2011_bos_magnepan.htm
Editorial on 3.7s and Magnepan’s CES demonstration begins in second column of link below. Gary Reber states —
“These are without question the best performance/value in loudspeakers that I have experienced. American-made throughout, these high-resolution, full-range ribbon, planar loudspeakers set a new benchmark for high-fidelity performance in loudspeaker design. No other demonstration at the CES came close to the sonic and spatial realism, and seamless response and time coherence delivered by the Magneplanars!”
http://widescreenreview.com/images/attractions/154ecmagnepan.pdf
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue71/magnepan.htm
Maggie 3.7 “best buy…(loudspeakers)…regardless of price”. The Absolute Sound Magazine picks “Greatest Bargains” of 2012.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/6-greatest-mid-priced-bargains-in-high-end-audio/
Then, the 3.7 became the 3.7i
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. And for those that have a 3.7, we have some good news.
For the first time in our history, we are able to upgrade your 3.7s at the factory for a modest $500. (That is what you have come to expect from Magnepan—good value.)
The first online reviews of the 3.7i —
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/magnepan_37i_dwm.htm
The 3.7i is not big.
What? You say.
The 3.7i is not big from an acoustical standpoint. However, the bass driver is big. If we sold the portion of the speaker from 200 Hz up, you could put it in the average apartment. Yes, it is tall, but very narrow. The ideal speaker would be a massless line-source that would look like a pole–from the floor to the ceiling. The 3.7i comes as close to that ideal as is possible with real-world devices.
The 3.7i bass driver is the reason it is big. Sorry, but that is what it takes to have high definition bass (We are not fans of hybrid speakers).
Need more bass?
Put a big speaker in a small room, too much bass. Put a small speaker in big room, too little bass. In general, it is true. There is no one-size-fits-all. In an ideal world, the bass diaphragm would be like an accordion which could be expanded to exactly fit the needs of your acoustical environment.
Magnepan now provides more options for getting the bass and frequency balance just right for your particular room. The relative levels of the bass and tweeter/super-tweeter can be adjusted. If that does not achieve a smooth balance in your room, bass diaphragm area can be added with one or more Maggie Bass Panels. Click on link below for more information.
http://www.magnepan.com/DWM_and_DW_1_Woofers
If you have a high-current amplifier, adding the Bass Panel is easy and inexpensive. Better bass for those difficult rooms and no subwoofer discontinuity issues.
At the risk of offending some advertisers, John Atkinson’s “think piece” is very insightful. Magnepan’s frugality and high value products are relevant to the needs of consumers in today’s fragile economy. John’s comments about Magnepan begin in paragraph 7.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/upward-price-spiral
Cosmetic options
The 3.7i comes standard with an oval base (like the 20.7) with the option of adding spikes for added stability on thick carpets. Steel feet are available in lieu of the oval base when placing your order.
Specs:
Frequency Response: 35Hz- 40 kHz
Sensitivity: 86dB/500Hz /2.83v
Impedance: 4 Ohm
Dimensions: 24 x 71 x 1.625 inches
Trim options:
(Wood) Natural or black solid oak, dark cherry.
(Aluminum) Silver, black, or gloss red.
Fabric options:
Off-white, black and dark grey.
Prices vary depending upon trim and fabric combinations.
MSRP: $8,995/pair — In-store Only
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