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Maggies

I have always been a box speaker person with top of the line Harbeths being my preference. Recently, I had occassion to a super! great deal on a pair of Magnepan 20.1's with the Cherry rails. Now, I've never heard a Magneplanar speaker so didn't know what to expect. I went to the sellers home fully expecting to be disapointed but wow, they sounded great. Anyway, it was too good a deal to pass up and now, they are in my home....I must add that the WAF ain't all that great because these things are monsters. NOW, I have the task of properly powering these speaks. I have them hooked up to a single Cary CAD200 amp thats doing 350W a channel and WOW but feel more power could be better so I'm searching for a best fit mono or single amp that will do these justice. A little hard for me because I'm a tube amp person and the tubes I've got just ain't gonna cut it with 4 ohms. Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks,
Markus
markus1299
12 responses Add your response
recordho
49 posts
 
I'd look at a Moscode 600 or the latest 400 series Moscode amp. These work wonderfully with Maggies with little fuss and you still get the benefit of tube sound.
recordho
49 posts
 
My other reccomendation would be Bryston. Some of the best sounding solid state I've ever heard. No solid state nasties on the mid or top end.
mitchchavis
87 posts
 
I use Pass X600.5s with my Magnepan 20.1 speakers and after many systems in pursuit of satisfaction in this hobby I am extremely satisfied with this combination. The 20.1s do need a lot of power to sound their best so my recommendation would be to go with a good high powered solid state amp like the Pass amps or Brystons as recommended by Recordho. I've owned and enjoyed Harbeths also but I plan to stay with the Magnepans for the long run. Congratulations on the great deal. I purchased mine new through a local dealer and they're a fantastic deal at retail IMHO.
prdprez
121 posts
 
Maggies are a nearly resistive load but draw tons of current. So any high current amplifier will work well.
I've heard the 20.1 sound very good on a BAT Vk-500 and Vk-600.
Get two Vk-500 on the used market and run them as monos. There won't be anything new that would come close for the price.

Good luck!
puerto
372 posts
 
I drive my 20.1s with Krell fpb 350 monos so they give me 700 watts per speaker at 4 ohms. I love the set-up but would also consider Brystons if given the opportunity. Congratulations on a great purchase. BTW, WAF is low here too but the expensive kitchen keeps us on a neutral playing field!!
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
Get rid of them, and buy some box speakers that "punch" the bass like you like.....dipoles don't do that. (been there, still doing that).

Dave
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
Bryston, Krell, big Pass Labs, Cary MB 500's, Sanders Sounds Mono Blocks, Parasound Halo JC-1's, Wyred4Sound 1000 MB
drdennis
165 posts
 
Try Musical Fidelity 750 Superchargers with a tube amp that you like. You will get punch!
lak's avatar
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lak
4,643 posts
 
I like the Wyred 4 Sound monoblocks. Sound darn good, too!
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
`the mc602 mac...a few are at audio classics for a great price. they will drive anything and are sweet.
weseixas
519 posts
 
Regarless of amplifier choosen,

The bass is affected a lot by speaker placement. It could take the batter part of 6 months of moving the speakers around and room treatment before those speakers will sound correctly ..... Believe Me !

The x-overs are poor 2, some time spent updating here will net big advantages ...

regards,
weseixas
519 posts
 


Play with the setup before jumping around for and amplifier ,,,
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