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Powering my Magnepan 3.0's

I bought a pair of Factory refurbished 3.0's knowing they needed a shit load of power. I bought a Carver 1200 Watt M1.5t Mangnetic Field Amplifier. 600 RMS Watts per channel. Max of 750 Watts a channel not to exceed 1200 watts total output. I also connected a 150 watt Yamaha Subwoofer because I needed more bass. If I turn my Carver Pre-amp above 4.5 in volume (scale 0-10), my amp overheats and turns off, if I run the amp at slightly less then 4.5 volume in for about 1 1/2 hours, it also overheats. My question is: Do I really need more power? I imagine that the answer is yes but I was just checking with someone more knowledgable then myself. Should I get another m1.5T and bi-amp them? Thank you in advance for answering this question.
augeanpoop
abex
322 posts
 
I had Maggies.Rotel are good if you are looking for a modestly priced amp.B&K's work well as that is what I used,but I had mine modified and you could buy one used then have it modified by Musicalconcepts,com.

CODA's might work well.Aragon,Thresholds.Pass Labs also work well.ARC Amps are great with them.I always tell people to go to AR to look at owners reviews and what they say works well also.Look at previous equiptment they owned to see if they know what they are talking about is a good rule of thumb whenn researching over there.

Good Luck!
timwat
132 posts
 
I have heard good things about the InnerSound ESL (but don't own & haven't actually heard). I am using a Plinius 8200 integrated which does just fine. Sheer rated watts on a spec sheet probably doesn't tell the whole story of compatibility, as Maggies are a more difficult load to drive than, for instance, a typical dynamic box speaker.

I am told it's not the watts they need, but the current - especially dynamic passages (ie, the cannons in the 1812 overture, a loud cymbal crash, etc.). Something about the impedence dropping dramatically and the amp needing to be able to pony up a lot of current instantly on demand. Higher quality amps with a large power supply will have the reserve capacity to deliver instant power on demand, while others will stagger and fail.

I have no personal experience with the Carver but I haven't heard from any other Maggie owner that they're using one. Other amps Maggie owners have suggested include Bryston, EAD, VTL, as well as the Aragon, Threshold and Pass that Abex cites above.

Best of luck!

Tim
augeanpoop OP
2 posts
 
Thank you everybody for your responses. I guess the problem is with the amp. I willo try to upgrade to a more compatible amp.

Thanks Again!

James Hughes
audiokinesis
2,737 posts
 
Augeanpoop -

While the Carver amp is able to deliver enormous power short-term, it doesn't have the heat-sink area necessary to deliver high output long-term, so it's going into thermal shut-down. At least that's my guess.

I peddle the InnerSound amp, and it's a pretty rugged little beast. It's stable into a .3 ohm load, and it should be quite capable of driving your Maggies. I have several customers who drive Maggies (and worse) with their InnerSounds, and so far no one has managed to blow up their amp. If you get a used ESL amp, try to get either a Mk II, or an amp delivered since January 2002. Those dating later than January 2002 have a minor circuitry upgrade that makes 'em sound better - the upgrade is of course also incorporated in the Mk II amps, but was actually introduced a bit before the Mk II designation was introduced.

Best of luck to you!

Duke
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