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Dave’s Faves – Magnepan MG-20.7

Magnepan MG-20.7 $22,000 Per Pair

(79h, 29w,2d)


In the great wide history of audiophile speakers, MG-20.7 earns a spot in the apotheosis of the hall of fame. No matter what your particular taste is in speakers, horns/stats/subs, it is impossible to not love the 20.7, even if it isn’t the one YOU buy.


When the Magneplanar technology arrived in 1969, it was based around a Mylar panel with piano wires glued on. The diaphragm was placed in close proximity to a perforated steel plate with north/south bar magnets affixed. Maggies made magic. There was nothing like them to create a huge, 3D soundstage.


Magnepan’s MG 20.7 is decades refined from the basic Magneplanar design described above. It uses a lighter/stronger Mylar diaphragm, it has foil strips (Quasi) instead of piano wire. It has perforated steel plates with north/south magnets on the front and rear of the diaphragm to create a push/pull mechanism. And of course it has Magnepan’s Pure Aluminum tweeter, controlled by push pull magnets on that as well.

The propinquity of the magnets to the Mylar sheet machinates GRIP from EDGE of the art- to STATE of the art levels. The marvelous MG 2.7i features Magnepan’s Quasi design with True Ribbon tweeter. It’s a superstar at a great price. But if ya want the best of breed, we have to go with 20.7.

There’s no better speaker at any price, to purvey the speed of plucked strings or drum transients. If you’re first and foremost a classical piano hound like I am, look no further than 20.7 for a realistic depiction of a grand piano. In addition to resolving all the colors of a great grand, the lower register is unencumbered with murk.

The 20.7 has the speed of stats with none of their peculiar noises or problems. The SIZE of the image is closer to lifelike than almost any other speaker. To get a stat to play this big and ambient, is an enormous task that will ultimate fall short of 20.7. The image cast your way comes from a wall of sound created by panels 79 inches tall and 29” wide. With no apologies, 20.7 is a big dog on your porch. It needs to be three feet plus off your back wall, so it isn’t going to disappear into your room. Who cares? If you love music, 20.7 is the ultimate statement of that in your house.

MG-20.7 has the unique ability to QUAKE your room- but not like a subwoofer! Subs move the floor. That’s fun. But 20.7 does it with a vice grip that doesn’t compromise the texture of the tympani or kick drum. To be clear, 20.7 doesn’t produce rock and roll bass. Subwoofers do. After all, when you see a rock band live, that’s what you’re listening to.

MG-20.7 is authentic to acoustic instruments, be the genre jazz, folk or classics. To beat this to death further, 20.7 has significantly more weight to its sound than its little brothers or a stat. But it doesn’t have the endemic sludge of a box sub, be it on board or in a separate enclosure. 20.7 is uncanny in that it fills the niche between big speakers that can thunder with heavy cone woofers- and speakers with excellent detail that can’t carry the weight of music without a sub.

If you’re not a loud listener, 20.7 is quite congenial with a modestly powered amp of high quality. The fabulous Atoll amps are a great match for Pans.

We mostly sell MG-20.7 with Bryston amps. Bryston’s speed and control are breath taking with the Maggies- a perfect marriage.

MG-20.7 does what no other speaker can. If you want a life sized image and power without the intrusion of dynamic subs, 20.7 is unsurpassed.