Magnepan 3.7 Review: Why These Planars Need Space to Shine

I get to do all kinds of crazy things here that no one in their right mind would try at home. 

For example, right now I’m listening to a stereo recording I made of a flamenco concert I recently put on, in the nearfield via a 6-foot-tall pair of Magnepan 3.7s.

That’s right, I’m listening to a human-sized pair of planar speakers, nearfield. And they’re integrated with a servo subwoofer that is placed fairly well.

Anyone shopping for “Maggies” is not looking for a set of desktop monitors, I assure you. I might be the only one around listening to them like this, and it’s fun. Sounds pretty damn good, actually!

Most speakers need a little room around them to sound good, but if you know anything about Maggies, it’s often the room that hinders their full potential. In these cases, they were previously installed in a small listening space, so it makes sense that their former owner would be looking for a different approach.

Other examples of craziness back here include the “dual sub duel,” where coincidence causes two testers to test two subs at once, concurrently.

Or the powering of a tiny desktop amp with a PS Audio Power Plant P20 — that’s pretty insane. 

Anyway, back to the Maggies. As Maggies get larger, in my opinion, they get more magical. The bigger the panels, the richer the tone, in my experience.

These 3.7s are the kind of speaker you fire up and immediately say, “Wow.” Cello is powerful, piano is accurate, and plucks are intense. 80% of the music I listen to is made for these speakers and wouldn’t sound this realistic on any other pair of speakers, perhaps.

Remember: you need plenty of space in your listening room so these can get out of their own way, sonically. Ideally, you’re looking at pulling them out 1/3 into the room, away from the back wall, and I’d recommend as much space on the sides as you can manage as well.

Give them this space, and get ready to reach audio nirvana. Give them the space they need, and you suddenly understand what the “Maggie” guys have been frothing about for so long.

They’ve got good packaging, and ship well. Please take advantage of our 45-day trial and try them out!