amps and cd players for magnepan 1.6qr

An audition of the 1.6s with the Bryston 4BST almost resulted in my buying the combination several months ago. Considering that experience I would suggest looking at a better source than the Planet. Not that it's a bad CDP, but the Maggie/Bryston combination will not be very forgiving of upstream deficiencies. My audition involved a Meridian unit(model # escapes me) which mated well with the system.

I have a pair of 1.5's mated with a 4B-ST/Rogue 66 combo. Source is an Arcam Alpha 8SE and it meshes well. IMHO, your preamp, if you go with a straight amp, may have a greater effect on the outcome. If you do look at a Bryston amp and consider coupling it with a Bryston preamp your choice of source will be more difficult as this pair will be very revelaing. Just my opinion...

Hello... I also have 1.6's and do use a Krell 300i with them on occasion, but lately have been using a Mesa Baron (large tube amp)with the 1.6's. If you go with the Krell, it can sound strident with a "lesser" CD player or DAC. I agree with Rgd spend more on the front end. I use mainly a Cal Labs CL-20 CD-DVD which matches with the Krell/Magnepan very well. Not sure if you are familiar with the Magnepan Users Group (MUG). For all things Magnepan check out: http://www.sonic.net/~howl/MUG/ Feel free to contact direct for further Krell/Maggie thoughts.

If it was me I would get the Bel Canto upsampler and a cheap DVD transport. For amp I have had good luck with a Baron on Magnepans

As Lshreve suggested, the Maggie users group is a good place to research opinions on things like this. It strikes me that a number of products will match well with 1.6's, from the variety of producs that people find satisfactory. The reviews I have read lead me to believe that while the 1.6's certainly are revealing of the quality of upstream components, they are not exceptionally fussy about amplification if the amp is stable into a 4 ohm load. When I bought my 1.6's, the dealer also voiced this opinion. Intially, I used an Adcom 545 with quite decent results and have since upgraded to a Belles 150A Hot Rod. The upgrade has brought nice improvements as you'd expect. These are really wonderful speakers that will allow you to upgrade around them as funds and interest allow.

try the aronov int. amp. great tube sound with good bottom end, as good or better than most solid state amps. the music reference RM 9 II amp and the RM5 III pre amps is a great combo. ultra musicial top to bottom. the planet might work well with either set-up. some planets in some systems are very good, they are very system dependent. try before you buy. good luck