Please Support N American & Euro Manufacturers

In the Jan 2025 British hi-fi news, there is a review of a new Quad branded preamp and power amp. There are numerous references to Quad’s founder, Peter Walker, who founded his iconic English company in 1936. On the cover there’s even a reference to Quad’s “return.” The problem is, these “Quad” branded pieces have nothing to do with Quad. The company is long gone. It hasn’t been reborn. These are simply Chinese built electronics that LOOK similar to the Quads of yore.

This is nothing but an effort of creative marketing. In this case, IAG of China makes it. They make boatloads of gear with dozens of brand names. They also own Luxman, which sells for “prestigious” pricing.

This is happening all over our industry. Chinese job houses are building zillions of products and branding them WHATEVER the customer requests.

If the reviewer wants to write that he likes this new Chinese gear in Quad clothing, that’s his prerogative. But all these references to Walker and England are simply horse hockey. Luxman is reviewed in magazines as though it is still a venerable Japanese family owned company.

The pieces are designed to look like 1960s Quads. They’re made in Shenzhen, China, by IAG, who also makes Wharfedale, Mission, KLH, Leak, Audio Lab, Castle and many other brands. Oh, their main biz until a few years ago was making yachts.

In the same mag is a review of Mo-Fi speakers designed by Andrew Jones, which, no surprise, are built by a vendor for them in China. Nearby is Hi-Fi Rose, an outfit in S Korea with a myriad of streamers slapped on to chassis with SMPS supplies and D amps. They’re sold largely on their aesthetics which run from steam punk to glitz & glam.

Our Alternative

We are selling products like Atoll (of France) and Bryston (of Canada) who actually make their own gear, in their own houses. The same holds true for speakers from Bryston, Axiom, Magnepan, Atohm and Klipsch Heritage. All of these products are made by the people whose name is on the banner. These companies have pride in their sonic performance and workmanship.

Please don’t settle for Chinese built products that have simply been vendored out. Further, I don’t like the way they steal our technology or hack our computers. By the way, the worst is yet to come. When you buy Chinese, your performance won’t be as good and you’re supporting job houses (some of which even have their own barracks!) instead of N American and Euro manufacturers who build with TLC.

Magnepan X Models

There has been an underground world of Maggie modifiers for decades. These hobbyists buy Maggies and install what they’ve read are better caps, fuses, connectors etc. Many of these mods go sideways and the result often does more harm than good. Magnepan has paid attention to these efforts but never endorsed them. A fair number of these mods end up butchering speakers and they end up back at Magnepan to make them right.

Magnepan has decided to come to market with X versions of most of its models. The X versions are TWEAKED versions of existing models. The X versions are distinct upgrades based on mechanical and electronic improvements, with real craftsmanship by the way! Magnepan isn’t just sloppily soldering a couple new caps into crossovers as well meaning DIY fellows do.

You can read the fine print on the Magnepan site. In short, the X versions are indeed better than the standard versions. Yet I would always get the next regular model up, rather than an X version of a lesser model- with the exception being MG 2.7X.

For example, Magnepan MG 1.7i runs $3k per pair. The 1.7X runs $5k per pair. I would still rather have the 2.7i for $6k per pair which includes Maggie’s True Ribbon tweeter, which 1.7X does not.

To me, the most logical X model to consider is MG 2.7X. It runs $10k per pair while the standard version runs $6k per pair. It is the first model in the family to use Maggie’s True Ribbon tweeter. MG 2.7X is almost double the 2.7i. The sound is tighter and cleaner. If your wallet is fat enough and you have commensurate electronics, I’m happy to recommend MG 2.7X in particular, over MG 3.7i.

Models

MG.7, $2000pr

MG7X, $4000pr

MG 1.7i, $3000pr

MG 1.7X, $5000pr

MG 2.7i, $6000pr

MG 2.7X, $10,000pr

MG 3.7i, $9000pr

MG 3.7X, $13,000pr

MG 20.7, $22,000pr

MG 20.7X, $30,000pr

MG 30.7, $44,000pr

MG 30.7X, $55,000pr

Top Live Albums Of All Time

Info compiled by Stacker. Ratings are based on a point system, earned by how many charts the albums were on, how high they went on the charts and how long they were on them.

10 “The Koln Concert” Keith Jarrett

9 “Made In Japan” Deep Purple

8 “Live At Leeds” The Who

7 “Live At The Apollo” James Brown

6 “Stop Making Sense” Talking Heads

5 “98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare” Fishmans

4 “Rust Never Sleeps” N Young & Crazy Horse

3 “At Fillmore East” Allman Bros Band

2 “At Folsom Prison” Johnny Cash

1 “MTV Unplugged in NY” Nirvana