get one of frank’s power amps if you like his preamp, solidly built very good sounding gear
another option is to try a wyred 4 sound st series class d amp ... upper registers a little smoothed over, solid bass control, something the maggies appreciate
third option is an odyssey amp, they have a somewhat silky presentation also |
Audio Research Ref 75 or Pass XA60.8. I would not use anything less powerful. Going up either line is fine. Atma-Sphere M60 would be another good choice. |
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2nd on odyssey. I ran my 1.7s with one and his Stereo Extreme model is smooth. Kept it as a back up to my 4B3. Plenty of current.
Will send it back for recaps eventually.
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While not wanting to be argumentative, the Atma-Sphere M60 is not a good amp for the 4 ohm Maggies. 1- OTL amps don't like low impedance loads. 2- The M60's output at 4 ohms is not nearly enough to drive 1.7's to anything approaching reasonable SPL in even a moderately-sized room. Ralph Karsten says he has owners of his amps pairing them with Maggies, but with an Anticables Autoformer between amp and speakers. |
Another vote for a VanAlstine, ya got his preamp :-) |
Rogue could do the job but Van Alstine would be hard to beat given your pre.
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I’m using a PS Audio BHK 250 with the 1.7i. Great sound & the amp never sounds strained, even at extremely loud levels. Relaxed yet articulate & powerful. |
+1 for Odyssey... I use one with 1.7i |
Check out the Digital Amplifier Company's Cherries. These are the best amp for my Maggies imho. Black background, no noise, the music just erupts out of the speakers. Currently using 2 stereo Maraschinos and 1 Mega MKII 4800A. |
You didn't mention your budget but I bought the Crown XLS 1502 to drive my Maggie 1.7's with and I liked it so much I sent it back and upgraded to the XLS 2502. Great full warm sound and definitely not harsh. It is very satisfying to listen to. Soundstage isn't as good as my PS Audio Stellar S300 and probably less precision or definition but also not sterile/clinical which is my impression of the S300. But the fullness of the XLS 2502 means some tube preamps might be overkill. The Crown's are surprisingly good for their price but if money isn't an issue I'm sure you can do better. |
A very big underdog is the Marantz KI ruby integrated Amp
the 10 has more power but this $4k Ruby is like a modded unit
the late Ken Ishiwata This was his best ladt effort before he passed away ladt year RIP, and don’t let Ncore dual mono amps discourage you ,it has actually 170wpc ,not 100 into 8 ohms
270 into4 ohms ,a true class A Active preamp ,with a linear microprocessor controlled volume true Descreet transistors,Not opamps like modt Copper dual chassis and premium matched parts made in Japan , it has Solid stste control and detail and a bit of vacuum tube sonics . Only $1000 signed are made . |
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Great feedback. Thanks everyone. I am going to start researching your suggestions.
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1.7s have a laid back voicing if positioned correctly.
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Pick up a old B&K ST-140.I have a B&K 202+ that’s sick right now but it’s a nice laid back amp. |
sanders Magtech. Last amp you’ll buy. Look it up
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Again Parasound, great SQ, they sure work well with smaller planars.
Don't blister your ears, and GREAT bass control, with just so so cables.
Regards |
The best money I have spent on my two stereo systems to push my Maggie 1.7i is the new Krell K300i integrated amp. It costs $7k but it has plenty of Class A power to make my Maggie’s sing. Sound stage is now amazing, bass is tight and vocals pop.
i stream my music via Tidal and love MQA - thru a LUMIN T2. This replaced my LUMIN D1 just 6 months ago. The Krell and the Maggie’s revealed this upgrade to it’s fullest potential - IMO.
Happy Listening. |
What's your budget ? and define "Forgiving" |
2000.00 LIQUID,EUPHONIC MIDRANGE---SOME DIP OR DEPRESSION WHERE MASSED VIOLINS CAN GET NASTY. THANKS FOR ASKING.
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........... AND AT LEAST 200 WATTS+ INTO 4 OHMS.
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Anything from Emotiva. Happy Listening from a Maggie 1.7i owner. |
The Van Alstine Vision SET 400 is about as good as your going to get at that price level and a match since you have Frank's preamp. $1999 for the black version with a 30 day money back guaranty. The Odyssey is also a great option with Maggies but Klaus' build time is months nowadays. |
@6119
we are happy to help you
but please stop YELLING |
jackd : RIGHT! Talked to Frank V. today.Told him my story and that I was thinking about the 400hybrid. He talked me out of it, saying the SET 400 would do the job. For some crazy reason, I hadn't read any reviews of V.A.components other than my preamp. I read three reviews and, lo and behold,there were those words,"warmer","darker","rich midrange","smooth and liquid";"no glare, grain or edginess";"touch of warmth," harsh recordings......more enjoyable","tube like","forgiving". I ordered it. Thanks jjss49,tomic601 and jackd,and thanks to everyone else who cared enough to make the effort to help! |
jjss49 : yelling????? what do you mean?????
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@6119
I think you'll like it as I've enjoyed mine since the first of the year fronted by the Supratek Chardonnay. |
@6119
cap lock
THIS IS YELLING, so to speak
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jjss49 : it is? never heard that before.....anyway only did it twice during this whole thread--cap lock just happened to be on....sorry
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@6119
all good, cheers, enjoy the music
hope the recommendations are useful |
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bdp24 is absolutely right about the M60. Not sure where my head was at.
At $2000 The Parasound Halo 23+ is a good option, the Halo 21 even better if you can go the extra grand. A used Pass or ARC amp would work if you can find the right one. |
I would not recommend Odyssey amps. They are not laid back at all. Also, do not by Emotiva if you want something laid back. They are all very fast and very bright (harsh in some instances).
For laid back, I second the recommendation for ARC (Audio Research). Also, McIntosh amp are very mild and laid back in the midrange and upper registers.
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+1 for Sanders Magtech. Sounds excellent with my 1.7i’s. They have a 30 day free in-home trial. |
Oh yeah, the Magtech would be great with the 1.7i. But a $6,000 amp on $2200/pr loudspeakers?! That’s the thing about Maggies: they are bargain priced, but that price is mitigated by the fact that they greatly benefit (some might say require) a fairly serious chunk-o-change investment in amplification for them. Still, if one has $6000 to spend, and likes the 1.7i enough to justify the expenditure, wny not? The low price of the 1.7i can be deceiving: it's sound quality far exceeds what one expects at it's price. The same is true of the Eminent Technology LFT-8b, which retails for $2499. I guess I shouldn't talk: I use an $8,000 power amp with them, though I bought it used for far less. |
i do not agree with auxinput’s characterization of odyssey amps being bright
compared to an audio research tube amp of course it is bright, but compared to other solid state amps the odyssey/symphonic line sound is smooth and silky up top, grainless mids and strong grip deep bass - of course with any good solid state amp you can excite the treble with a poor sounding source or poor cabling
audio research tube amps are great with magnepans but you need quite an expensive one to properly drive maggies to satisfying volume levels and get half way decent bass response |
I've owned four different Odyssey amp models over the last 20+ years and wonder if he has actually ever heard one. Audio Research are anything but warm and fuzzy tube amps and the Odyssey amps would even be smoother than many of them. |
A little known secret is Maggies require far less power when they're high-passed with an active 4th-order filter. This allows you to use almost any amp you desire over 40 WPC or so. An Active high-pass like the Marchand XM66 is much easier on the wallet than a $6000 Magtech.
AVA gear is a great value though and I suspect you'll be very happy with the SET400. Frank is also a class act all the way. |
i do not agree with auxinput’s characterization of odyssey amps being bright
I did not say Odyssey amps were bright at all. Odyssey amps are very neutral, but very fast and high resolution. The OP was specifically asking for "laid back" amps and while Odyssey amps may sound very good in this situation, they would not be laid back. It was the Emotiva amps I was describing as "bright". |
@auxinput
fair enough... i misread what you wrote... you associated brightness with the other amp brand you mentioned in the same paragraph
all good |
Definitely in agreement with the AVA gear symmetry. With the $2000 price target, seems to be the logical move.
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Another vote for Odyssey—not because it’s laid back but because your preamp could be. Amp sounds great. Built right. No class D. The designer talks to people. I bought my �Stratos DM from a guy that had used it for years with Maggies. |
Looking for a laid back "forgiving" stereo power amp to drive Maggie 1.7i s through a Van Alstine Transcendence 10 tube preamp. thanks. Tell us what amp you are now using, please? Any kind of DAC? etc.. A big culprit in what you hear can also be cables and the type of AC conditioning. |
hi everyone. in case you missed my earlier post, i've ordered the Van Alstine vison set 400.was going to get the hybrid version but the man himself talked me out of it--said the solid state would work well with my V A tubed preamp. i read three reviews : TONE,AUDIO CIRCLE,and AUDIOPHILIA. all the key words were there. 30 day return. high hopes.we'll see.......Thanks to all.
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Congrats and enjoy, hope your internal happiness cap lock is ON when you get and listen to new amp !!!!! |
@6119
good choice to go back to frank v a
he is one of the best designers in the business... also a totally honorable, pragmatic, no nonsense, ’i spend your money like i spend my own money’ kind of person
an absolute prince and an example that many in the industry should follow |
very nice to hear. thank you.
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+1 re the Wyred 4 Sound ST-500 class D amp. When I got my first ever passive monitors for the desktop system (ATC SCM12 Pro’s) I needed an amp, and it had to run cool & fit on the crowded desktop. Took a chance on a nice, used ST-500, and from 1st hook-up that combo proved sonically ideal.
The ATCs have great authority in all frequencies for a 2-way and might sound a bit relentless with a bright amp. I'll never know, because this is definitely not a bright amp...like that ATCs, it has great authority from the upper bass on down. When I crank the, the sound is rather amazing. And when I listen at low volume, I actually get solid bass (few speakers will do that).
I asked W4S if it was OK to stand the ST-500 on its side, and they said NP, it runs so cool it barely needs airflow. That’s what I did, and it works exactly as advertised... |
