Integrated amp recommendation for Maggie .7's


As the title states I'm looking for an amp recommendation for my Magnepan .7's.

I'm currently using a Belles Aria Signature pre with a pair of Signature monos.

@jjss49 recently described the Belles sound thusly:

"i have owned the belles aria (twice), along with numerous hegels, ayres, some upper older musical fidelities

david belles’ aria is a nice integrated, powerful, very stoutly built, nice phono stage in it too (the remote control is downright cheap though)

sonically, i found the belles to have a little more of a brash personality - more treble energy, some sizzle, a little grain, compared to the more refined hegel and ayre sound... so it depends if you want that or your speakers benefit from a little more sizzle up top...

the ayre, hegel and top flight retro musical fidelity amps (a308, muvista etc) provide a degree of treble sophistication of even higher tier solid state amplification (ample detail and soundstaging free of attendant electronic harshness)"

This seems to jive with my own feelings as well. I've owned probably a dozen different pairs of speakers and the Belles gear has always been the common denominator. 

I'd love to keep my budget to $5k new or used. I don't think I can get an Ayre that will mate well with the Maggies at my budget. It's possible that I can get an Aesthetix Mimas used around the $5k mark. 

Hegel is a brand I have absolutely no experience with. 

Much appreciated!

128x128audionoobie

I agree with those who have found that Rogue amps have a nice synergy with Maggies. I’d recommend either the Sphinx or Cronus Magnum. I’m currently running a Kinki Studio EX-M1 integrated with my 1.7i Maggies. An excellent pairing. Plenty of power and dynamics, and quite clean and neutral. Good luck!

+1 for the STR. I've had mine for 4 years and absolutely Love it!

Don't know about Maggie's but it is certainly not slow or sluggish with my Totem Forest Signatures!😎

Also, Anthem stands behind their products with great customer service and support.

The Rogue Pharaoh will be paired with Maggie’s next month at Axpona.  Wait a bit and see if there are any reviews about them being paired together. 

I had the Pharaoh in my system for a short time several year ago.  Being the “big brother” of the Sphinx I expected it to deliver substantially better performance. That was not the case in my particular context. I actually preferred the Sphinx. Your mileage may vary. As always, keep an open mind and trust your ears. They seldom lie. :)

Sphinx V3 on the way along with a pair of LRS.  I have an Audio Research VSI-60 that I didn't think would work but after reading positive results with the I50, makes be wonder since they are probably pertty similar, so I will be able to try both.