Drove Maggies with Manley tube monos for many years. I’m sure there are some that do better than what I tried, but no ss amp that I tried sounded nearly as satisfying as the Manleys or the Berning tube amp that I also had. IMO, Maggie’s benefit for the full bodied sound that a good tube amp offers. The ss amps that I tried, with the exception of a BEL all sounded too lean, even sterile, for my tastes. I do agree that Maggies like power and while it may seem counterintuitive, ESPECIALLY if most of your listening is at low volumes. Not enough power reserve and at low volumes my Maggies tended to sound a bit sluggish and dynamically lifeless. I agree that 40-50 W is not enough. Personally, I would look for a good 100 tube watts.
Tubes for Magnepan’s.
I think next up on my acquisition list is a tube amplifier. I'm not looking for the be all end all, cause I don’t think there is a definitive "Best", so am looking for as good as I can get for $3-4k.
Because tubes drive speakers so much more efficiently than solid state I am only looking for 40-50 watts to drive my modded Maggie’s, 1.7i's. (Or what you have when you add a new crossover and planer tweeters to 1.7i's.) Maybe 2.7x? I haven’t settled on that yet. And I have some Zu Dirty Weekend's upgraded to the max coming in in 2 months to replace my KEF's.
Anyway, I haven’t had a tube device since my Halicrafter short wave radio, and reviews are not the same as advice from people that own something. There is a Rouge Audio dealer in my area, last I looked, (opps, they no longer carry them), so I may have to go to another market to hear something, or get a try before you buy from a manufacturer or dealer.
You folks have taught me a lot, and I think asking users is the right thing to do on this change in direction.
Thanks in advance.
Because tubes drive speakers so much more efficiently than solid state I am only looking for 40-50 watts to drive my modded Maggie’s, 1.7i's. (Or what you have when you add a new crossover and planer tweeters to 1.7i's.) Maybe 2.7x? I haven’t settled on that yet. And I have some Zu Dirty Weekend's upgraded to the max coming in in 2 months to replace my KEF's.
Anyway, I haven’t had a tube device since my Halicrafter short wave radio, and reviews are not the same as advice from people that own something. There is a Rouge Audio dealer in my area, last I looked, (opps, they no longer carry them), so I may have to go to another market to hear something, or get a try before you buy from a manufacturer or dealer.
You folks have taught me a lot, and I think asking users is the right thing to do on this change in direction.
Thanks in advance.