3-Way Full-Range Quasi-Ribbon Planar
The 1.7i is the updated version of the Magnepan 1.7, a speaker widely regarded as one of the great value stories in high-end audio. It marked a significant shift for Magnepan, extending quasi-ribbon driver technology down into the bass and lower midrange for the first time in the brand's history, an approach that brought new coherence across the frequency range and won over both professional reviewers and everyday listeners in blind testing.
Design & Engineering
Unlike a true ribbon, the quasi-ribbon design uses a thin film backing to hold delicate ribbon conductors in place, giving it wide bandwidth and high power handling with low distortion. The 1.7i adds a quasi-ribbon super-tweeter for a wider sweet spot, and its tall, narrow flat-panel form factor is a deliberate approach toward an idealized massless line source. Because it's a planar dipole, the panel can be set up with tweeters facing in or out; outward for a wider, more stable listening area, inward for a narrower but more precisely focused sweet spot.
Technical Specifications
The 1.7i is a 3-way, full-range quasi-ribbon design with a frequency response of 40Hz–24kHz, sensitivity of 86dB (500Hz/2.83V), and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. It measures roughly 48 x 165 x 5cm (19" x 65" x 2"). As a low-sensitivity planar design, it benefits from a robust amplifier.