Magnepans

I have Magnepan 1.7s in a medium-sized room (about 350 sq ft).  I originally used a Linn Majik amp with 100 wpc @4 ohms.  The sound was plenty loud enough, but it just did not have enough dynamic punch.  I then changed to a Linn Klimax amp with 200 wpc @4ohms and got the dynamic punch that I was looking for.  In my view, 200 wpc is much better than 100 wpc.  I am very happy with 200 wpc and have not plans to add more power.

Nature Boy,

     I agree with gdnrbob, that Ralph (atmasphere) is probably the most knowledgeable about driving Magnepans with tube amps.  I know Maggies are all a relatively stable load of 4 ohms, only dipping slightly below this at certain frequencies. There are no crazy impedance dips like some electrostatics.  I also know there are many Maggie owners who drive  them with tube amps, although I think most use more than 40 watts.

     I own an older pair of 2.7QR Magnepans and have always driven them with high powered solid state amps,  my experience being the more power the better they performed.   initially I used a 400 watt class A/B amp and currently use 1,200 watt class D monoblcks.  The bass and dynamic range of my spkrs improved with the addition of more power.

    Another solution you may want to consider is pairing a good tube preamp with a solid state amp.  If you take this route, however, it's important you match the preamp's output impedance to the amp's input impedance, the general rule being the amp's input impedance should be at least 10 times the preamp's output impedance for best performance.  If you decide to use a class D amp, however, it's also very important you match the sound of the preamp to your personal sound preference since good class D amps are very neutral and your system' sound will be mainly dictated by the sound of your preamp and sources.


     Several Audiogon members have mentioned that Magnepan does not recommend using class D amps with their spkers.  This makes absolutely no sense to me because I have found them to be ideal for driving my panels. Class D amps are relatively inexpensive, very transparent, small, efficient, run cool and usually have plenty of power.  If you don't find a suitable tube amp at an affordable price, you might want to consider finding a tube preamp you like and match it to a good class D amp.  This hybrid approach will likely give you a tube sound without so many tubes to maintain and at a reduced cost.

Hope this helped a bit,
     Tim 
    .  

I have two sets of Maggies, 2.5Rs, and 3.6Rs.  (I love em, I also have electrostatics(ML) and time aligned cone speakers (Vons), but the maggies rule.) I can run the 2.5s with a 40 watt all tube integrated, and they sound great, but that same amp just can't push the 3.6s hard enough (for me anyway). However, that said, I do run the 3.6Rs with a 50 watt (rated 50 - but closer to 70 - per the owners manual. yeah really) tube power amp (Cary V12R).  This amp has the 3.6s singing like angels (I'm guessing angels can sing really good?).  I have several solid state amps also, but the Cary with the Maggies seems to be a match made in heaven.

All,

     In my last post I mentioned that I'd heard it mentioned that Magnepan does not reccommend using class D amps to drive their speakers.  I went to their website and found out this is not totally accurate:

     They recommend class A/B amps that are high current designs (amps that double their 8 ohm wattage into a 4 ohm load, example: 100 watts @ 8 ohms and 200 watts @ 4 ohms).  They tout this type because they claim it has worked well on Maggies for decades according to feedback from their customers.

     They state that they don't recommend class D amps because they have received reports of some shutting down when driving their 4 ohm speakers.  They further state they don't have the time or staff to keep track of which class D amps work well and which do not so therefore, in a self described effort to be conservative,  decided to just not recommend any of them.  Stating that you decline to make distinctions between amps of a specific type is not exactly a ringing endorsement but it is obviously does not rule out that some class D amps may be ideal matches for their speakers.

     The truth is that Magnepan does not recommend or state not to use class D amps, it merely states  it can't be bothered with details like which amps work well and which do not  and, besides, we already told you we  don't want to be bothered.

     Magnepan apparently can't be bothered with the fact that there are numerous class D amps that are high current and double their power from 8 to 4 ohms.  Mine are rated at 600 watts @  8 ohms and 1,200 watts @ 4 ohms and, whether Magnepan gives a hoot or not, drive their speakers very well..

Thanks,
 Tim.  

A lot of great info here. Thanks so much! Quite a bit to consider with this next purchase(s). 
Heard something about SERVO amps being a good option? Not necessarily going that route, but as long as I'm considering switching out my current integrated amp I might as well put it out there. 
Tim, thanks for all the info and the mention of class D. I will look into that as well.
Larry, the maggies I'm looking at happen to be 2.5's so might not have to get rid of my VAC?