Magnepan 1.7 i - Amp suggestions

Recently, I visited my local High End Audio Dealer to audition the Magnepan 1.7i speakers.  The dealer set up the speakers in a system using a Prima Luna Evo 200 tubed integrated amp to drive speakers.  To my surprise, the Evo 200 drove the speakers to high volume levels with ease and authority, from top to bottom.  And the sound was unbelievable!!!  Apparently, the Evo is a very high current amp which produced great bass response with the Maggie 1.7i's.  I was so impressed by the magical and sublime sound produced by this combo that I purchased the Maggie 1.7i speakers,but, bumped up to the higher powered Evo 400 for a little more power.  But, in my moderately sized room, the Evo 200 would have been enough to get the job done nicely.  Maggie ribbons and tubes are a match made in heaven.         

I had several different amplification units with the Maggie 1.6, 3.6, and 20.  The ARC, Bryston, and several other separates were all good with their variations.  A surprising unit with these was the early Magnum Dynalab 208 receiver....it was very enjoyable to listen to and had the bonus of a good FM section....not the end all, but quite good. 

Good success with your journey. 

You might want to consider the Red Dragon class D mono blocks, a lot of bang for the buck and gobs of power.  I'm driving my 20.1s with M1000 mono blocks and they sound excellent.  You should also look at the M500 as a 500 watt option.  Early class D had some issues, but the new gear with improved circuitry sounds great and is quite happy driving a 4ohm load that the Maggie's require. 

Regards,Doug

Ok I’ll add my experience with Maggies and amps. My 3.7is were driven by the indefatigable Sanders Magtech and I'm now using the LRS's in my bedroom system with psaudio M 600s. Maggies love current! Good luck 👍

Regarding the Van Alstine 400R--tried that with the 1.7's years ago and sent it back. On paper it looked to be a great match but in listening, I way preferred a Marantz integrated! Was never able to relax and let the music wash over me in a way the less expensive Marantz did.

Interesting. I almost bought the 400R for my .7s but instead opted for Exposure 3010S2 monoblocks. I too was able to get very decent sound from a mid-tier integrated but the Exposures are a nice upgrade with plenty of drive. 

I am surprised by your results though, as Van Alstine is a big proponent of robust power supplies. 

Hi, I drive my 1.7i's with Conrad Johnson MF2275SE amps. Avoid Class-D, buy used, plenty on the market. A lot of people swear by Sanders Magtech, but any amp which doubles in power from 8ohm to 4ohm will do the job. Good luck.

I've used a few Rogue integrated amps with my Maggie 1.7s and was quite happy with all of them.  The Sphinx is an especially good bargain and does a super job with Maggies.  Rogue is also a great company to deal with.  Currently, however, I'm using a Kinki Studio EX-M1 integrated amp with the 1.7s.  Reasonable cost, substantial power/current, and excellent sonics.  I will not be looking for a replacement amplifier in the near future.  :^)
Here's a short review that I wrote for this combination....

https://www.kinki-studio.com/news/ex-m1-magnepan-1-7i

Happy Listening - Michael

I have Magnepan 0.7s. When buying I auditioned NAD 368 and Rogue Sphinx. The NAD had a bit more sibilance on vocals while the Sphinx sounded more natural. So I went with Sphinx and am very happy. BTW, ignore claims that any class of amp universally exhibits a common characteristic. I bought a Musical Fidelity class AB amp and found it brighter than a different class D amp on my particular speakers. There is no substitute for hearing the equipment yourself. You’re off to a great start with Maggies.

If you like tubes - I am using the big Primaluna HP Dialogue Premium, which has 4 EL34s per channel. Sounds really sweet with my LRS.    Only ~80 wpc, but plenty of current.  I think the smaller Primaluna with 2 EL34s per channel would not be enough.  Also, now that they have introduced the new EVO series, I suspect the HP might be more available on the used market and in but at the top end of your price range.

rpeebles"Any ideas/experience regarding the: MCINTOSH...NAD"

This is a silly request for information because there is no comparison between the high quality performance routinely delivered by McIntosh components to the budget basement designed and manufactured NAD products!

Thank you very much for all your recommendations ! I am certainly looking into them.

Any ideas/experience  regarding the:
-  MCINTOSH MA252 -. USD 4.137 or any oher MC model ? MC are locally available.

-  NAD C388 - USD 2055 or any other NAD model ? NAD are locally available.

Thanks for your help !

I have had tremendous success with Bryston amps and Maggies.

For a lower budget, a used Audio Research 150.2 would so quite nicely.   I had one a few years back.

If you ever have some extra funds the Bryston option is terrific as are McIntosh MC501 mono blocks.

In your situation, much is about availability and price, given your location.

Congrats on joining the family of Maggie owners. 

Regarding the Van Alstine 400R--tried that with the 1.7's years ago and sent it back.  On paper it looked to be a great match but in listening, I way preferred a Marantz integrated!  Was never able to relax and let the music wash over me in a way the less expensive Marantz did.

I use a pair of Odyssey all in monos.  I tried a couple class D amps and the music was just blah.  A couple other AB units I tried went onto protection mode.  The Odysseys have the current needed to get everything out of the Maggie's.  With a Don Sachs tube pre amp, those monos and the 1.7i's; along with streaming through a modified tube DAC using NOS tubes, I'm currently listening to the finest music I've ever had.  And Ive had quite a few systems in my day.
PS....get rid of those steel jumpers and try a pair of inexpensive Anti Cable jumpers.  You'll hear an obvious difference with the change.

There is no better amp than the Sanders Magtech for Planar and electrostatic speakers. Got to his website and read some of his white papers. Very informative. Good luck finding a used version. Once people have his equipment, they don't give it up. Ask yourself why.

Johnto is spot on. My class D experiment with 290w mono bridged also failed and the Maggies clipped the amps at 82db in dynamic passages. 
What I found was that the key is the Power Supply and the Capacitance.  My Odyssey has Dual 400 VA transformers, 180,000 AuF Memory and provides >60 amps delivered current. Hence, the Maggies sing without the slightest struggle. Choose Class A/B direct coupled, Loads of memory & current delivery and you will not have to learn the expensive lesson buying again. Do not get lost in looking at Watts but focus on power details and the ability of the amp to store enough power to handle dynamics that push you down into 2ohms.. Bryston & Odyssey will do nicely. Consult with other Magnepan owners as well.  Cheers.

I believe magnepan advises avoiding class d amps.

Agree that you should avoid anything Class D unless you can audition it first. None are good enough to gamble on anyway. The best ones merely match a decent class AB amp. 

The Halo Integrated is a decent match for the 1.7s but a Yamaha A-S2100 would be better. It produces less RMS wattage but has a much larger power supply, which is what really matters when it comes to Maggies. The same reason  why the poster above got better results with a Prima Luna over the Rogue Pharaoh - it's all about the power supply. 

Anything tube. I have the 1.7i and I drive them with a 100amp ARC amp. And have no issues. I use a Goldenear sub and I love the sound. But like all high end audio it doesn’t lie. Bad recordings sound bad and great recordings sound great. 

Keep listening

I have the Magnepan LSRs and am v. happy with my 2 Schiit Vidar monoblocks and Freya tube preamp.  I have not had any problems with overheating as kingbarbuda mentioned.  Used Brystons can be found sometimes within your budget, and those are highly regarded, as mentioned.  Also, Paul at PS Audio believes that their D-amp would be "enough" for Maggies.  No personal experience there. 

I 2nd the Parasound Halo integrated. Mine sounds terrific with my LRS.

Dear All...Thank You very much for the excellent suggestions - am investigating all, please keep them coming.

Any opinion regarding - 
https://classdaudio.com/sds-470c-class-d-audio-power-amplifier.html

Thanks & regards !

Many good suggestions. I’m listening to my Maggie 1.7s right now, enjoying some Trans Siberian Orchestra and am amazed that I can hear this quality in my own home! You will be very well pleased. My system is powered by Odyssey Stratos Extreme with all the options.The synergy between Odyssey and Magnepan is stunning. Call Klaus and ask him why. Also with 20 year warranty. Good luck!

Posted in your other section. I would recommend a Parasound integtated I don't think you'll find a better match for 1.7
 The HINT gives you the current you need a 2.1 system so adding a sub at some point is easy. You also get analog and digital inputs as well as mm and mc phono section.
Enjoy your great speakers.

Sanders Magtech.

I have Magnepan 1.7i.  Avoid Schiit Vidar. I tried those and one went into thermal protection. Then switched to Bryston. Journey over. I had one then two of the 4B3s used as monoblocks. That’s all you need. I later got an amazing deal on a pair of 28B3s. So that is what I have driving my Magnepan 1.7i speakers now. So much head room for dynamics and transients. What I would also recommend are the MyeStands from Grant VanderMye. Also the Mike Powell fuse and jumper upgrade. With those you will be all set. You will have tighter and better bass and crisper cymbals. Enjoy!

This Van Alstine 400R would be a good fit with the Maggies!

https://avahifi.com/collections/power-amplifiers/products/fet-valve-400r-hybrid-amplifier

Oh and BTW the 4BSST and the BP20 and MPS1 I am using in my second system with these LRS is kick butt.  Rock and roll the bass is back but you gotta know how to place them and frankly I do.  I got the Mag fever and I know the cure.

Bryston and Magnepan are like peanut butter and jelly.  OK corny but true.   A bit pricey for used but maybe just buy an old 4B from on here they are out of warranty then you are in your price range.  I would also buy that used BP26 and MPS2 because at 1600 bucks you need those.  Hell yeah Bryston is great gear.  Who else does a 20 year warranty?  Better yet they are great folks too and willing to chat about their gear which is always nice if you feel like chatting.  Buy buy buy

Bryston makes some very nice equipment... And has models with the power you need. 

Hello Elizabeth & other Friends, thank you for your suggestions.

My money number is around USD 2.000 - USD 3.000.

FG High End is a good dealer but pricey.

Another alternative is: Music World -  https://www.musicworld.cl/

Are Bryston, any good ?

Thanks for your help !

Had the 1.7s...loved them... So did my wife... But moved and space and config changed. You truly do need lots of good power. I ran them very nicely with a higher power musical fidelity and BAT integrated. Respectfully, I would not do a Primaluna integrated... Great stuff and great sounding (I had the monoblocks).. But not enough power in my opinion.

If I were to do it today... I would Def consider the ps audio M700 monoblocks... If not those... Some very powerful tube amp (generally more expensive)... or a nice solid state amp/integrated. (yes a hybrid OK too... I liked the pharaoh). 

Don’t be fooled that the power is only necessary to listen at high volume... Not so... You need an amp to drive those with authority... To get the best out of them.

I have Maggie 1.7s and +1 Rogue Pharaoh is a good choice. I ran a Pharaoh it was a good combo. But then I upgraded to a Prima Luna Dialogue Premium. As good as the Pharaoh is, the Prima Luna is a distinct upgrade. Magical and plenty of current for the Maggie’s if you incorporate a Subwoofer. I had a Rel sub, switched to a PSB subwoofer and actually prefer it better than the Rel. Good luck & have fun!

I use a Rogue Pharoah (Class D / tube preamp) hybrid integrated to drive my Magnepan .7s.  Great combo.  Plenty of power.