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Hi All!

  I am new to Audiogone and have enjoyed reading some of the various posts. I hesitate to call myself an audiofile as I do not believe I have the dicerning ears required nor do I have room in my finances to indulge in the purchase of high-end audio gear. I have managed to piece together a system that to me sounds great. I have provided a list below of my gear. My interest in audio began back in 1970 when I was a teenager. I had some relatives who owned some nice stereo systems (not nessessarily "high-end").
In 1972 when I began my career, the first thing I purchased with my earnings was a consumer grade audio system. As life went on and I found myself with a family of my own to support, I lived with that system for almost three decades. In the late 90's a friend of mine, who also was an audio buff and more knowledgable than I, rekindled my interest in audio. This friend advised me in the purchase of the gear I now own. I know my gear is probably "vintage" at this point but hey...still sounds great to my ears! I have learned a few things while reading posts on AG and I have a question. Has streaming digital audio attained a level of quality to make it high end worthy? If so, where can I learn more about it? I have other questions for another time. For now, I am happy to be in your company.


Magnapan 3.5R planer speakers
Velodine 15" Sub Woofer
Hafler 9505 stereo power amp
Audio Research SP11 preamp
Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player 2CH
Thorens TD145 MKII turntable
Ortofon cartridge pickup
Nakamichi RX-505 Cassette tape deck




hifi4all
@waterzlife Apparently TIDAL may be under water. Hopefully more than Sprint will bail them out.
Yes, I agree with Bi Amping those Haflers with the Maggies NOT (mono) bridging them. A Much better option is to get rid of the Hafler amps (to harsh och!) and invest in a quality two channel amp to drive the speakers. I'm sure people here could suggest some amps that would work well. 


Matt M
TIDAL music streaming, the highest quality option ($20/month) is EXCELLENT !!  I don't have an MQA decoding capability, but even without it the "HI-FI Master" sound is superb... and I've been going to my cd collection a lot less since getting Tidal.
Another option, if you want to actively bi-amp. I used(and modded) one for over two decades, without a problem and with great results. They can be hard to find though. Regnar(some of the original Dahlquist personnel) still does updates to them: http://www.allegrosound.com/Dahlquist_DQ-LP1_AllegroSound.html and http://www.regnar.com/dahlquist-dq-lp1-parts---upgrades.html
I’m using a 9505(modded), to run my woofers. Stock, they put out 375 WPC, into a 4 Ohm load. Page 2 of the manual states they don’t recommend trying to run less than an 8 Ohm load, when bridged. http://www.hafler.com/pdf/archive/MAN0587D_9303_9505_man.pdf Look at page 8, of the following, with regards to biamping your 3.5s. That would be the ticket, given you’ve two 9505s. Finding the XO-1 crossover, might be an issue, unless Magnepan still offers them. Page 10 tells you how to bi-wire(much easier/not as beneficial). http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/pix/mg3.5_manual.pdf It seems some have had difficulties, with the 3.5 and XO-1: https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=mug&m=179681
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As I understand it, "strapping" often increases the lowest number of ohms that an amp is comfortable driving.  I.e. a stereo amp drives 2 ohms, but a bridged version only does 4 and up.

If your speakers are biwireable, why not try driving treble and bass with two amps operating in stereo?

MattMiller,

The Hafler amp seems to handle the load quite well. It gets quite warm but I wouldn't say hot. I have a second Hafler 9505 currently not in use. I am considering adding it into the system, strapping both amps mono, one for left channel one for right. Good idea or not? What do you think? I invite all responses.
Hi, Nice collection of gear, welcome to the club! :-)  Magnepans are kinda tough to drive, does the Hafler amp get hot? 

Matt M