I’ve started buying and listening to Magnepans in the 80’s. There is one thing the speakers are very consistent at - demonstrating if not highlighting any weaknesses or incompatibilities in the system that is driving them. That only seems to get worse with each subsequent speaker or line of speakers they come out with. The problem may be that the 3.7i’s are more demanding and more revealing than the 3.6’s and there’s something in your system they are not getting along with.
The Magtech amplifier was built to drive electrostatic speakers. Magnepans are not electrostatic speakers. The Magtech is also a solid state amplifier. My experience is that Magnepans do better with tube electronics. I suspect an all-tube amplifier (not hybrid) may sound better than a solid state, even if it is of lower current rating. I listened to a pair of Tympani IVa’s for many many hours with an Audio Research D90-B amplifier rated at 89 WPC. It sounded better than several pairs of Tympani IVa’s I heard in dealer showrooms connected to top-shelf solid state electronics with a lot more current and overall power, including Krell electronics. More power/current is not always the answer.
The business of turning a digital signal into analogue is as much art as science. The HGC DAC3 is also solid state. You might consider one of Audio Research’s tube-based DAC units or even a Bruce Wenger “BWS Dual Mono Ultimate Performance Line Stage” preamplifier.
If the 3.7i’s are not performing to your expectations after a good 400-500 hours of break-in and you’d prefer to not invest another king’s ransom in electronics, the solution might be to go back to a pair of 3.6r’s. Like Microsoft proves to us over and over again, sometimes it’s better to leave things alone.
The Magtech amplifier was built to drive electrostatic speakers. Magnepans are not electrostatic speakers. The Magtech is also a solid state amplifier. My experience is that Magnepans do better with tube electronics. I suspect an all-tube amplifier (not hybrid) may sound better than a solid state, even if it is of lower current rating. I listened to a pair of Tympani IVa’s for many many hours with an Audio Research D90-B amplifier rated at 89 WPC. It sounded better than several pairs of Tympani IVa’s I heard in dealer showrooms connected to top-shelf solid state electronics with a lot more current and overall power, including Krell electronics. More power/current is not always the answer.
The business of turning a digital signal into analogue is as much art as science. The HGC DAC3 is also solid state. You might consider one of Audio Research’s tube-based DAC units or even a Bruce Wenger “BWS Dual Mono Ultimate Performance Line Stage” preamplifier.
If the 3.7i’s are not performing to your expectations after a good 400-500 hours of break-in and you’d prefer to not invest another king’s ransom in electronics, the solution might be to go back to a pair of 3.6r’s. Like Microsoft proves to us over and over again, sometimes it’s better to leave things alone.