Plinius 8200P or Bryston 3B-SST for Maggie 1.6 QRs


The only thing I have now is the Music Hall CD-25 player and I am planing on getting a pair of Maggies 1.6 QR.
Both price and the power rating are close. Bryston has a way longer warrantee, but I don't think the Plinius will die very soon anyway.

Has anyone try A/B these 2 amps with the 1.6 or other speakers and how do they compare?

I listen to pretty much everything, but Heavy metal and Rap.

I would really appreciate any suggestion regarding these two amp. with the maggie or in general

Also any suggestion on the preamp to go along with either amps? I only have 2-300 left after the amp.

Is the foreplay (bottleneck) that good? I have seen a rave review. If it's that good could someone give me some idea about what product level it can compete too?

Thanks a lot,

Ake

PS I know the CD-25 may become my weakest link if I get this set up that the upgrade is possible in near future.

Also I have done a lot of searching on AG before asking this question, but just wanna hear more about it. It's probably impossible to audition them before getting ones.
ake

Showing 1 response by ultrakaz


I did not have much success with the Bryston (4b-st) and the Magnepan 1.6 QR. The bass was ill defined and the midrange was lacking in dynamics, dull and dimensionless.

A much better match was with the Marsh A400 or BAT VK-200. Both of these amps gave the speakers life. An even better match was with the BAT VK-60. At only 60 watts this amp gave the midrange even more life and a tonal richness that can only be achieved with tubes. I've seen some listings for this amp at below 2K, which is an incredible bargain. I achieved the best sound with the VK-60 and a Placette passive preamp. The Placette can be replaced with any high quality passive (around $300 used) for less money if you do not need the remote control.