Amp for Magnapan MGIIIA's

Regarding Ramstl's comment about Bryston: I used a previous generation 4B amp and found the results to be good. But Bryston electronics (amps and preamps) can be a bit bright and hard although their control, bass and dynamics are great. I moved to high-power VTL tubes which made them really sound georgous although a little loss of "punch". My experience owning two different Maggie models also showed they are sensitive to cables so try a bunch (I ended up with Trasparent bi-wire).

I have owned Maggies, various models since 1982, and this is what I have found, albeit limited amplifier experience, various integrateds, GAS ampzilla, Adcom, Hafler, and various Classe' models. The bass panels require a good quality amp with decent current upon demand for that special maggie magic. This does not equate to watts. However, that can also depend upon the size of your room. Remember, although they are not the most efficiant speaker their load is not too terribly difficult to manage. I believe they are 4 ohms across the board. In conclusion, I would recomend high current solid state, unless you can afford the higher powered CJ's or ARC's. Therefore, I would have to recommend Classe', Bryston, or Aragon. Finally, watts are only as important as your room size and listening habits. If you do have to spring for lower price solid state, ie., Rotel, Adcom, NAD place a lower value fuse in line with the tweeters ribbon. These amps seem to stress the tweeters more and replacing the ribbons can be costly. Although, Magnapan is very good about repairs. However, I would recommend the prior amps. They truely bring out the best in Maggie. Does anyone use McCormick's amps with their Maggies? I have some experience with the .5 delux. However, I never listen to them paired with Maggie. One last suggestion. Although the BK140's sound good with certain speakers, they are not a good match with maggie. Enjoy!

I had a pair of smg's (never should have sold them) and a high current amp is what you need. I have a aragon 4004 and it is a perfect match. Actually any aragon amp will do well. Enjoy.

Have used various Maggies since 1984, WARNING!, once you live with planar drivers- NO cone speaker will ever satisfy! Recommend high current amps from Threshold, Bryston, Classe, Krell. These speakers love strong transistor amps and since they are fuse protected you can crank till the fuses blow! Remember to keep the fuse ratings and types as Magnepan designates. THE MAGNEPAN TRUE RIBBON TWEETER IS THE FINEST HIGH FREQUENCY DRIVER IN THE WORLD! ENJOY!

I have Maggie 3.3s and they like alot of power, I was using an NAD 2200 and they sounded very good, I purchased an Acurus A200 last year, and they sound fantastic. I was amazed at the how much of a difference this upgrade made. I have also listened to mine through a Adcom 535MkII and a PSE Studio V, the Adcom sounded good but not quite enough juice (I would think that the 5500 or 5800 would be just right), the PSE sounded very smooth(even a bit smoother than the Acurus, but the PSE is a Mono block and I only have one). I have a friend who has a pair of MGIIIa and he has had trouble with his NAD 216 shutting down on him(my older NAD 2200 has never had that problem). I can also recommend from very limited exposure; Rotel, Proton A1200, or PSE Studio IV. I think that once you get a seperate amp you will be amazed at the difference, also spend some time experimenting with the placement of the maggies, they seem to like being at least 4-5 feet from the back wall, and try to put nothing or very little between them and they will sing like nothing that you have ever heard before. Good luck!

The best amp period for large maggies is SimAudio Moon W-5, another good amp is the Clayton 70 mono blocks or similiar high current amps. If you want to stay with an integrated, go with the Krell KAV300i or 500i. I have Maggie 3.3's and have had many amps on them. I bought a Krell 300i for another purpose, never thinking it would do a very good job on the Maggies, and hooked it up on a whim, unless your room is very large, it will do the job very well...large room go with the KAV-500i

I Should also add that I auditioned these through a Parasound HCA-750A and Parasound P/HP850 preamp and I loved the sound, But the room was about 2\3 the size of my listeneing room