Magnepan 1.7i

"Not just The Absolute Sound's Affordable Loudspeaker of the Year, the 1.7 is the affordable loudspeaker of the decade" The Absolute Sound magazine, January, 2011

Take a look at the reviews and "buzz" on the internet that has been generated since the introduction of the new Magneplanar 1.7.


In the latest Absolute Sound Magazine Buyer's Guide, the staff of the Absolute Sound voted the Magneplanar 1.6 as the "Best Bargain in High-End Audio" for speakers over $650 pair. Now, there is a successor to the 1.6 to carry on the tradition.

Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound, Issue 205.

"Not long ago, I proposed an article to our Editor in Chief, Mr. Harley, to be called 'What Would You Really Buy?' By this I didn't mean what our reviewers would buy if they had access to a Rubidium Mastercard, but what they could actually afford with their own meager funds. Without a doubt, the speaker I'm about to review is the one I'd opt for.................................Bottom line? I think you already know. Like the 1.6s, the 1.7s are the most life-like speakers I have heard in their price range--or anywhere near it. I could live with them (and did) in a system that costs 150 times more than they themselves do. IMO, they're just plain great."

The new 1.7 won the coveted Product of the Year award. But, it is even better--

"Not just The Absolute Sound's Affordable Loudspeaker of the Year, the 1.7 is the affordable loudspeaker of the decade" The Absolute Sound magazine, January, 2011

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20010500-47.html?tag=mncol;title

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0511/magnepan_mg_1_7.htm

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue53/magnepan.htm

http://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/part-2-magneplanar-1-7i-loudspeakers/

Among the audiophile press, the 1.7 was "the talk of the town" at CES 2010.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10422797-47.html?tag=mncol;title

After a 12-year history, reaching a near-iconic standing, the Magneplanar 1.6 has been improved with value engineering. No costly tweaks of questionable sonic value. Magnepan is all about better ideas which give verifiable, high-value sonic improvements. All members of a listening panel chose the 1.7 or the 1.6 in a blind listening test.

The 1.7 is a departure from Magnepan's 41-year history of using planar magnetic drivers for the bass or lower midrange. The use of quasi ribbon technology down into the lower midrange and bass will provide a new level of coherence.

What is a quasi-ribbon? The quasi ribbon driver is a deviation from the true ribbon design. A very thin film backing is used to hold the delicate ribbons in place. One of the advantages of quasi ribbon drivers is extremely wide frequency band width and high power handling. The result in the 1.7 is low distortion and seamless ribbon clarity--a sound so clear and effortless that it has changed the thinking of thousands of audiophiles about planar speakers.

The 1.7 also boasts a quasi ribbon super tweeter with a wider "sweet spot," and one step closer to the delicacy and detail of Magnepan's true ribbon design.

The 1.7 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 1.7s 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 1.7 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.

Whether the tweeter is on the inside or outside, the tweeter should not be closer to the listener than the bass section. Measuring from your seated position, if the bass panel is 10 feet, 6 inches, the tweeter should be at least 10 feet, 7 inches (think in distance, not angles).

Another photo of the 1.7i---https://www.menshealth.com/technology-gear/g19542046/irina-shayk-best-gear-2012/?slide=9

What is "power response" and why is it important to music reproduction?----Wendell Diller, marketing manager, explains why Maggies have superior power response and how you can conduct this listening test at your local dealer. Wendell Diller explains

The 1.7i is not big.

What? You say.

The 1.7i 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 1.7i comes as close to that ideal as is possible with real-world devices.

The 1.7i 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.

More information on DWM Woofers is available.

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.

How to use the DWM Bass Panel

Trim options

  • (Wood) Natural or black solid oak, dark cherry.
  • (Aluminum) Silver or black.

Prices vary depending upon trim and fabric combinations.

Fabric options

  • Off-white
  • black
  • dark grey


1.7 Specifications
Description3-Way, Full-Range, Quasi-Ribbon
Freq. Resp.40-24 kHz
Rec PowerRead Frequently Asked Questions
Sensitivity86dB/500Hz /2.83v
Impedance4 Ohm
Dimensions19 x 65 x 2