What amp would you suggest for Magnepan MG12s

Thank you everyone for your answers. It does not look like there is a consensus on which amp would work the best with the Magnepans. I have hear I should get a tube amp with some power because a solid state amp that is too "bright" could cause the Maggies to sound harsh. But I have also hear that not to use a tube amp with the Maggies. (Mixn4him suggested not to get tubes because they don't control the LF and the Maggies need an amp with good dampening.) Forgive me but I don't know what dampening in terms of amp audio is- would someone be so kind as to give me more info? Thanks!

Try a Bryston amp like the 4BSST or later generation. The 3BSST may be enough for this smaller speaker in a small room. They Bryston is magical on the Magggie speakers. I have both the 3.6 and 1.6, Bryston is great. The Quicksilver Silver monos are great on the 1.6, and I mean real good. jallen

Recommend you take a look at the Planar Speaker forum over on Audio Asylum, here ; the server is down today (Monday 1/4) but hopefully will be back soon. The vast consensus in that forum is for a solid state amp which can deliver high current (typically one that doubles power from 8 ohms to 4 ohms, possibly to 2 ohms). Some (including me) pair the SS amp with a tube pre-amp. Maggie typically demos their speakers with Bryston amps at audio shows, in line with Jallen's post. Others recommend various Class D amps (I use an Audio Research 150.2) but Class D also has a lot of detractors, so that's one that requires a personal listen. But if you look at the Forum you will see quite a few questions regarding recommended amps and the related responses, many more than in a more general forum such as this one.

One amp for sure is the Modified Moscode 300 or 600. MOdified is more refined than stock units. But with a few upgrades a stock unit especially the 600 will surprise you. The Odyssey Stratos is another high current amp that should also do a great job on the Maggies. I would prefer to have a tube preamp in the front end with those amps. The amps you mentioned above will work well with the maggies too. If you are a rocker and want to play very loud by all means go for the power. But if you are on a budget the Moscode 600 will make them sing. If you can find one. The newer Moscode amps will do a truly wonderful job too.

If you want the best of both worlds, you can use a solid state amp and a tube pre-amp. That is the more expensive solution that I use with my 1.6's. However, I think that you would be shocked at how good the vintage luxmans sound with the maggies. The R117 is rated down to 2 ohms and will handle the 12's and the 1.6's with ease. Save yourself a couple of thousand dollars and for the price of some good interconnects try a really fine vintage high current R117 receiver (if you can find one in VG condition as the volume pots can go bad)). You can always add a tubed CD player or tube buffer but I don't feel it is necessary as the amp section isn't bright or harsh. If you want to spend a lot more, try a lector zoe preamp and an innersound esl 300 mark 2 amp.