a couple of questions about maggies

You don't need that kind of power to drive the MG12.Especially for the room size your putting them in..It's not too much ..but overkill IMHO.Checkout some of the Carver ZR series amplifiers if you just got to have all that power. Maybe a Forte 4 Class A amplifier or someting along the line. There's a couple guys on this forum that use these with Maggies.Also there are some guys on AA that are trying Set tube amps on their MMGs.That should tell you something.

I would get a nice 40 watt+ tube amp and use that to drive both channels. One of my friends uses an old CJ mv-50 with his Maggie 1.6's. You can buy those used for 450-500. To me a small tube amp gives the magnepans a magic that is unmatched by solid state until you reach the stratospherically priced reference gear. The MV-50 uses EL-34's which give it a beautiful midrange and sense of drive. I have yet to hear the equal of the mv-50/1.6 in reproducing an electric guitar.

I think you can get the old conrad-johnson mv-50,52,55 and 75's within your price range. Another nice amp is the Sonic Frontiers SFS-80. As with any older amplifier it would be a good idea to buy one that has recently been to the factory for a checkup/refurb. They do get old and a little cranky so be prepared to have it looked after a bit. Try to find a local tube repair guy and ask him to find something well built that he can repair. There are lots of very good sounding tube amps out there - especially DIY stuff that sell cheaply but have superb sonics. The key is to have a local guy that can work on them so you don't spend a fortune on shipping.

does anyone know if the magnepan mg12 is set up to be bi-wired? i am actually looking for an amp to drive my paradigm studio 60v.2 speakers for a year or so that will also be good for when i upgrade to the magnepan mg12 speakers. i dislike brightness all together but also like a solid clean bass line. would a mccormack dna-1 do the trick for both speakers? or how about the b&k or rotel 200x2ch amps? any recommendations on a pre-amp that would also mate well with both speakers and the soon to be bought amp?

In answer to your first question, the stock MG12QR cannot be bi-wired. As far as amplification goes, I used a Bryston BP-20/3B-ST combo with great sucess. I would think the McCormack would be fine.

Have you listened to Magnepans before? The bass presentation is very good, but it is very different than most conventional speakers. I personally preferred using a sub with the MG12QR, and can recommend a ACI Titan LE.

Two points of interest...

1. I am using CarverPro ZR1600 amps with MG1.6, and the result is superb. The available power, 600 wpc, is ridiculous, and I am sure it is something that "comes with" high power (current delivery perhaps) and not the power itself that really makes these speakers shine. At only $840 these amps are a steal.

2. I have just modified my MG1.6 crossovers, using a 10AWG air coil inductor, and Hovland capacitors. I expected only improved sonic quality, and was surprised that the sensitivity (dB per watt) increased significantly. This might make the MG1.6 more suitable for relatively low powered tube amps. (I did slightly change the crossover design, using 3.0 mH and 21 mfd instead of 3.5 mH and 22 mfd).

I've had a pair of 12'2 for about seven months now. Been driving it with a Stan Warren modified Adcom gfa 5400 (125w @ 8ohm, 200w @ 4ohm) and a Quicksilver tubed linestage. At normal listening levels the sound is excellent; smooth yet detailed. However, when I really crank it up, the adcom struggles (especially mid-upper treble).

So, you may want to look at getting something that can put out more than 200w @ 4ohms. I thinking about getting Stan to modify a 5802 for me.

Keneallyfan
I have only heard them once hooked to high-end stuff at a dealer and was blown away by how different they sounded than any other speaker. I settled on the Paradigm 60v.2 because I got them for a steal. I'm getting ready to move and will be using Paradigm Studio 40v.3 in my new family room (just because of the room layout and wife factor). I will have a second sitting room upstairs and this were I will eventually put some Maggies. There is no need to have the same speakers in both listening rooms. I do have a HSU VT-2 sub that I will use with the Maggies if it mates well. So no, I have only heard the MG1.6 once but thought the sound was magical. I am looking for a good amp to use with the Paradigm 60s for awhile and then to use with Maggies in the future.

The reason I asked if you had heard Magnepans before is that mentioned that you liked a solid clean bass line. The cool thing about dipoles is the way the bass frequencies load the room. It is very clean and tonally accurate. But it doesn't have the visceral impact that dynamic speakers convey, at least until you get into the very large panels. For that reason I would not call them a speaker for bass lovers.

Are you purchasing the 12's or the 1.6's? I agonized before I bought them as to whether the 1.6s were too big and ended up with the 12's. After having them in my living room for a year or so, I kind of regret my decision. The reality is that if you can tolerate the space the 12's take up, you can live with the 1.6's. The real difference is in height. They basically take up the same amount of floor space.

I would consider a sub almost mandatory for the 12's, but you might not need one for the 1.6's. The main difference would be that you would probably need 150-200W @ 8 ohms for 1.6's as opposed to 60-120 for the 12's.

Recently, I snatched up a demo pair of Dynaudio Contour 3.0's at a good price. Great speakers, but there are still some things I miss about the Maggie's. Good luck with your decision!

Been driving maggie 12s with Odyssey Stratos for about 6 months now with great results. Room size is 14 x 16. No sub at this point but will likely add one mainly for home theater use in the future.