Threshold S-150 Should I buy??


The owner is bring it over to my place Sat.afternoon to see what it sounds like in my system. Price will be about $300. US. 75 watts per ch. and I am looking to use it as a Midrange amp for Maggies MG III on an active X/O setup which is not ready yet(speaker rebuilt). I will be able to hear it full range on smaller Maggies. I am on a fixed income so my budget is tight and although my setup won't be ready till late fall. It is a good price on an old Amp and I don't want to let it slide. It is good high current and Maggies need current more so than watts, Being used in the midrange it might even work in the Class A mode alot of the time. I know it would be best to do a recap at some time and that would be just a parts cost. I know some will say why even go active, but I am (Marchand XM-44 X/O) and some will say go tubes, not now maybe later. To Buy or not to Buy? You tell me, will it do a good job on the Mids. Thanks for your input.
benie
Well I got the amp and the purpose is for the mids + or highs on my MG III but right now I have never heard my MG I imp. sound so good, one word WOW!!! what a difference. In the past on my MG Is I have had a Bryston 3B which then was bettered by my B+K EX442 and now this 70 watt per.ch. Threshold has kicked the living sh-t out of my 200 watt per.ch B+K. This Amp has Authority and believe me I've been know to rebel against authority but I'll take this Thank you. But Barolobrain comments where interesting as the sound stage could be lacking a bit and I hate to even say it because it does everything else so good. Buy as it is sometimes there are trade offs and i will Take it!!!! and I will also Take Ar_t advice and move the transformer, If I have time I will do it this weekend and will post the results. Would like to Thank everyone for thier thoughts and advice. Sound like a good tweek Ar_t Thanks and thanks for the advice just in time
"Further, I found it to be lacking in bloom and soundstage."

You didn't try moving the transformer, did you?

Nope, thought so.
I had a pair of MG-IIIa's, using the Maggie passive xover. I had two Threshold's, the SA3 and the S/150. I swapped them in and out, between the woofer panels and the mid/treble. My personal opinion is that the S/150 is quite short of power for the application. Further, I found it to be lacking in bloom and soundstage. I ended up replacing both with an ARC D-125 (hybrid design) which while itself wasn't the greatest amp, made a sensational improvement in the sound and dynamic handling, and all this driving the speakers full range.

You'd be better served finding a used Bryston 4/B and having their US service center in Vermont upgrade the transformers and grounding and changing the bias, all for about $100.
If you are an experimental type...............

Move the power transformer as far away from the circuit boards as possible. (It will move seveal inches.) Yes, you will have to take it apart, drop the front panel, etc.

You'll thank me for it when you listen again.
At $300, it's a steal. The gorgeous front panel/chassis alone is worth that price. When you are sick and tired of it, you can take everything out of the chassis (except the excellent power supply) and put in a pair of 250 wpc or 500 wpc switching modules--and associated components of course. I am doing that very thing right now but that's another story for another time.

You are right. The Maggies love power. I've heard the Maggies II become fully alive (sweet, dynamic sound with real bass foundation) when driven by a switching amp.
I guess I better not give the ph.# out of the seller. Thanks Elgordo + Elizabeth I had been thinking along the lines of Forte. Forte are the best bang per $$ on the used market. Maybe I'll go for a Model 4 for the Ribbon .Thanks.
Post removed