Hello johnto,
Thank you! Your advice is right up my alley, budget and SQ wise...
I already own a Bluesound Node 2i and a pair of Magnepan MMG's that I'll be bringing back with me, so my first task will be to acquire an amplifier in order to have music in our home quickly.
I can then take my time to tryout in view of acquiring the various elements of a new setup, preferably on the used market to maximize value for $$ spent!
As I've never had the possibility of listening to different setups, due to our living in countries where there were no decent audio shops to speak of, I intend to take advantage of the possibility of ordering, listening/testing, and returning unsatisfactory gear, allowing me to experience different sound signatures, etc., finally allowing me to distinguish between OK, great!, and WOW setups... within my budget range.
As I wrote in my original post, I'm just starting in this hobby, although I've loved music and good sound quality for decades...
Within the context of my modest experience, I do like the Peachtree Audio sound very much.
Have you had a chance to listen to the Nova 300 with maggies ?
This iteration amp has received numerous accolades, is currently available on the used market for less than 1.5K, and also, reputed to be much "better" than my Nova 125...
How much "better" than the MMG's are the 1.7i?
Would the Nova 300 drive the 1.7i with proper authority?
Of course, acquiring another, larger, pair of Magnepans will largely depend on the space I will have to devote to an audio-video setup.
From reading dozens of threads here and there, I shall proceed as follows:
- Set aside a dedicated audio-video room in our new home, if possible;
- Start with the purchase of a used amp to drive my exiting gear (MMG/Node 2i) as a foundation;
- Improve room acoustics early on, making modest but noteworthy improvements;
- Visit stores/ attend shows, and use in-home trial possibilities to sample a wide variety of gear that suit my situation (room, music, budget, etc.);
- Keep an eye out for exceptional gear that becomes available on the used market from time to time... Put together a system that will decisively improve on what I already have, and go from there...
- In fact, it is entirely possible that I will be satisfied with the new amp driving the MMGs, using the Node 2i, and perhaps adding one or two good sub-woofers?
Voilà! Thanks again for chiming in, I am certainly reading many good things about Parasound's great compatibility with maggies, and the Hint integrated is definitely a hit as far as the various professional/private reviewers are concerned.
