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I'm a little stumped

My base system (power & speakers) is a McIntosh MA6100 integrated amp running a pair of Klipsch Chorus II's.

I'm been thinking real hard about upgrading both the power & speakers. After a fair bit of research and remembering a friend's MG1's from many moons ago I pretty much decided to go with a pair of Magnepan 1.6qr's. I auditioned a pair today and pretty much drew a blank. I expected to be amazed (I would have brought a pair home) and was left with sort of a "no comment". The audio shop ran the 1.6's with a Bryston 2B (180W @4 ohms). Overall they sounded a little thin & quite bright without much bottom end. The bottom end can always be cured with a sub, but the brightness?? I'm sure they could have used more power, but I thought there would be a hint of greatness I could draw on. I also listened to a pair of B&W 704s & Theil 2.4's. Basically they all paled in comparison to my little MA6100/Chorus combo. I was looking forward to maggie nirvana, but didn't see it...any ideas what happened? Bad room, bad setup, not enough power??
fishboat

Showing 2 responses by reubent

reubent
6,939 posts
 
Fishboat,

Just a thought.......

Like many of the other posters said, "If it makes you happy, be happy". If you like the sound of your currnet system, but feel compelled to upgrade, you could consider keeping the speakers and auditioning a different amp or source. You don't list you source components, but since your system is 30 years old, I suspect you have a turntable. TTs can be excellent sources and a good 30 year old table may be hard to beat without spending big bucks. However, if you are using an older CD player as a source, you may have a plethora of upgrade choices. Digital has improved dramatically over the years and a killer digital rig can be bought for less than the cost of a pair of Maggie 1.6s.

BTW, 25 years ago, I was absolutely blown away by a pair of Maggie Tympanis and a big SS amp in a local Hi-Fi store. I've yet to ever match the thrill of hearing that system. But times change, products get better (in general) and my preference for sound and music is different now. But it would be interesting to see if I got the same feeling hearing this setup today as I did 25 years ago when I was in my late teens.....

Enjoy,

TIC
reubent
6,939 posts
 
Fishboat,

As Marco stated, yes, the front end can make a big difference. If you are using an older $300 Denon as your primary source for critical listening, you could likely find big improvements with a different player. You don't have to spend $2000-$5000 to get a great player, although there are plenty of great players in those price ranges.

I've owned several high end CD players over the last few years and I'm really smitten with my current player (Quad 99 CDP). The Quad list for $1499, but I bought mine for less than $900 used here on AudiogoN.

Although I've not heard it, I've recently read a review of a cheap $150 Sony SCD-CE775 (or the new Sony SCD-CE595) modified by Tube Research Labs ($550 for the mod). The review and several of his friends have replaced their very expensive digital rigs with this little player that cost $700 and they are estatic.

Seriously, a good, high resolution digital front end might be a nice complement for your very dynamic speakers and your warm amplifier. You might be so happy that you stop there for a while!

Enjoy,

TIC
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