Integrated amp for Magnepan 1.6QR?

hi kitty, shameless-plug-time! ;~) check out my ad here on audiogon for a matching-set amp-n-pre - the alchemist kraken series. class-a operation for plenty of current. great sound, great appearance, great price (asking $990 obo for the $2160, retail, set). small enuff so ya may not need an integrated.

Kitty, listening to my 1.6's would suggest that Plinius' & Classe's integrated amps in the 100-150 watt per channel range would be a good match. The reviews I've read would suggest they'd synergistically work with these speaker's strengths.

kitty: you don't say what your budget might be (or whether you suffer from hairballs). anyway, accuphase makes several integrated's that are first-rate. my older son owns an e-211. perhaps the most beautiful and musical of the integrated's i've seen/listened to recently is made by pathos; can't remember the model #. both of these should work well with maggies. good hunting. -kelly

Thanks for all the helps, I have Musical Fidelity A300 pushing the maggies but the bass seems thin so maybe I should go pre/pro? Bryston B4-ST Ok? Or other suggestions?

Hi Kitty, what is your cd player? maybe it is causing the problem.

I have been driving my maggie 2.7's for three years with a Classe CAP-100 Integrated. It has been an absolutely wonderful match for the maggies producing shimmering highs, smooth midrange, and a strong bottom. control of the bass is a plus, and from what I've read, a necessity for maggies, but with the Classe I kept wondering what people were talking about... I get plenty of bass. [I listen to mostly acoustic Jazz, but also Electric Blues & Rock, Classical, and I Love well done Female Vocals (I've seen people tear up listening to Jewel on my system)]. Bryston is often sold with maggies, but Bryston's only integrated is only 60 watts a side, and may be a little lean for your 1.6's. The Bryston 4B-St you ask about in another thread is not an integrated, but a 240 watt power amp. I actually have a 4B in my system now and am comparing it with the Classe to see which way I want to go as I will be upgrading to separates; either Bryston or Classe. (so the shameless plug is: my CAP 100 is available, but not yet listed, E-mail me if you are interested) Classe entered the Integrated market with the CAP 100 in 1997 (it recieved a Stereophile "Class A" rated 4/98) Classe fancies their competition to be Krell. Krell's integrated (too dry for maggies in my opinion) was 150 watts, so after a couple of years Classe upped the power of the CAP-100 to 150 watts and called it the CAP-150. They then introduced the CAP-80 as their 100 watt piece. Robert Harley, Author of: The Complete Guide to High End Sound, former reviewer for Stereophile and others, former editor of FI magazine, and currently with The Absolute Sound consistently recommends the CAP-80 with the 1.6's. So: the experts and I agree.... Classe Electronics compliment maggies very well. Classe has a range of Integrated Amps in the power range that will bring the maggies to life, and make them sing. And.... I have one if you are interested.... but I'm not selling my maggies.

I am currently trying to sell my Anthem integrated 2 (which is a solid state amplifier (90 @ 8, 145 @ 4) and a tube preamp section. I am including both the original tubes (with about 3000 hours left on them) and a set of matched Amperex tubes (with about 4000 hours left on them). I have an add listed here and would be willing to work out a deal with you. I will also pay for the insurance and shipping to your location. The integrated is in great shape and you can find a review of this integrated at www.soundstage.com I really fell in love with this amp even though you do not hear much about it. I am selling due to a move into a larger combo 2 channel/HT system. I do hope that you find the integrated you are looking for. I just figured I'd throw this one in the mix. Good luck and happy listening.

I would suggest that you head over to the Maggies Users Group (MUG) at a different site for some more inputs. All those "inmates" are very passionate about their Maggies and offer very good practical advice. Your other option is to get a pair of Newform R645's which are much more efficient and would work wonders with your current set-up. I only mention this because I just made the 1.6 to Newform conversion myself recently. On a slightly different note, does anybody know why Bryston doesn't have a higher-powered integrated -- it sure seems like they could do very well with a B100 or B150? By the way, all of the above suggestions, i.e., Plinius, Classe and your own Bryston 4B-ST are safe and solid choices. You might also look at that Rotel monster (the 1090). TAS just gave it a great review and it should definitely solve your low-end problems. I have the 991 and received great bass slam with my 1.6s. Mike