I am about to make a purchase decision: 1.7X or 2.7i? Does someone have an opinion to share? Currently have 1.7 and 2 REL T9i, PS M700s, PS P12 Regen., Rogue Perseus Magnum preamp (tubes), Iconoclast Series 2 TPC, Jay’s CDT 2 Mk3 Transport, StellarGold DAC, Tubulus Concentus I2S, custom Belden ICs, WireWorld PCs, dedicated AC lines, ASC TubeTraps, …
I have read Magnepan website materials. Thought some of the contributors to these forums might be able to offer some guidance. Not many reviews available yet. I have to decide soon to keep my “boss” (who likes Maggies) on board with the upgrade expense.
2.7i any day. The upgraded crossover of the 1.7i will improve the sound some, but at a disproportionate cost. The 2.7i gives you a true ribbon tweeter and if your handy you can upgrade the crossover yourself.
I listened to a pair of 2.7s at a local dealer in the spring and wow…… totally floored, the setup did not have a ‘level matched’ DAC in the chain. I was listening to a track I’d been listening to a bunch and I could notice missing info, I figured it was the DAC/streamer combo but what i heard overall was very impressive. Especially being pushed by a modest Musical Fidelity integrated.
How big is your room? The 2.7 and big speakers and def need to be out from a wall.
Thanks for responding. My Living Room is 15’w x 21-1/4’ long x 9-3/4’ high. Spkrs are on short wall with fireplace btwn them. I can only pull the speakers out 3’ from the front wall. The point of first reflection on both sides are matched open arches (42" wide) going to Foyer on left or Dining Room on right. My music of choice is classical and Beatles and Motown, with a little jazz and “Fragile” by Yes.
While I don’t have an official X pair of .7s, I replaced all the crossover components with equivalent parts in addition to bypassing the fuse, attenuator and replacing the binding posts. There is a nice improvement in clarity top to bottom but it did not transform the speaker. They still sound like Magnepans.
Thank you all. Will go to listen/compare non-X versions of 1.7 and 2.7 next week. Too early for local dealers to have X-versions. Originally leaning towards 1.7. Now leaning towards 2.7. - JAS
Save yourself a LOT of money, keep your 1.7’s and get Danny Richie’s crossover upgrade from GR-Research. Danny’s upgrade actually addresses the issues that Magnepan let go to market on their own design. Even their new “x” series leaves those issues and only upgrades the crossover components themselves.
Going Danny’s route will get you a lot more performance than the new way overpriced 1.7x, and for only $400.
This is exactly what I plan on doing with my 1.7i’s when I get the chance.
As for if the 2.7’s, I have no idea since they have a true ribbon tweeter. Whether Magnepan implemented them correctly or not is a different story. And if they perform better than a pair of 1.7’s with Danny’s upgrades is anyone’s guess until someone actually does a direct comparison between the two.
Thank you for a clear opinion. Sure seems a lot less expensive to go the Danny route. My problem is, Who is going to do the install? Definitely not me. Unfortunately, I’m not an electrical tinkerer.
Chops, just read your relevant posts on GR forum. Sane and thoughtful.
Thought I’d get back to let y’all know what I decided. Purchased Magnepan 2.7’s and more SR Purples! If I can afford someone reliable to install GR upgrades next year, then I will have the benefit of both.