BEL 1001 MkIII is the amp!! I have switched all my solid state amps to SET tubes except the main speakers (Magnepans) which run best on the BEL fed from a McIntosh C220 tube preamp. I have tried many tube power amps with the Maggies and none controlled the bass and deliviered detail like the BEL amp. Good luck finding one! If you can´t secure a BEL ,I would recommend the best Audio Research tube amp you can afford. Right now I have a pair of new Magnepan 3.7s on order and can´t wait to hook them up to the magnificent BEL amplifier. |
Theta Dreadnaught II, BIAMP 4X 250 W/CH IN FULL TRUE BALANCED CONFIGURATION. BEST ACTIVELY DRIVEN, www.magnepanstudio.de,
speaker cables must be AWG 7 SOLID SILVER TO BOTH L & M/H.
IC solid silver AWG 22. AVOID THE EXTRA INSULATIONS...OF THE CABLES.
REGARDS
STELIOS ANGELIDIS, MSEE, MBA, P.E.ng
Telecom / Audio Consultant |
Great to hear that you settled on the Innersound esl amp! Which amps did you compare the Innersound esl to and with what results? The Innersound esl amp is one honey of an amp and will stay in my system for quite a while. |
OK, I ended up with an Innersound ESL MKIII (latest version). 600w into 4ohms. I am more than happy. The amp has a tremendous low end, great detail, and from and ergonomic standpoint, looks great, wieghs only 35lbs and runs very, very, cool. I'm done, for now. |
Hi, I've listened to several amps with the 3.6s and only recommend a BEL 1001 mk V. It's one of the only amps to get truly good bass out of them. Plus, they deliver the goods when it comes to the rest of the music as well. 100wpc into 4ohms doesn't tell the whole story. You simply won't run out of juice with this amp. See Jimburger's system profile for our recent listening session with one on his 3.6s.
At the end of the day, I'd put this amp up against anything at any price and feel confident. Try one and see for your self.
Good luck! |
H2o amp by Henry Ho is an ICE chip amp with gobs of power. It is being used on Apogee Scintillas so it should easily handle the 3.6. There is a review of it on Asylum with the 2.6. |
We had a bit of trial to get the amps right for the 3.6r. The 3.6's replaced some tired British speakers and as I had owned a pair of Maggies 20 years ago I was looking forward to the experience. However the 2105 Mac amp was just not up to the task. While the sound was tube like, the bass was muddied and lacked clarity and punch. Amber like tonality permeated the music driving me crazy. I know these speakers should sound better than this!
So for the next year or so I played with different amps finally settling on a pair of bi-ampd 2120s. The sound still was too stiff, thin at times and no matter where I placed the speakers, while the soundstage was impressive, the overall quality of the image suffered. I finally began looking at new speakers, Meadowlarks, B&W etc
trying to find that sound.
I happened to call one of my favorite Mcintosh dealers ( I have traded gear with them for many years,) and lamented my 3.6r problem of a sound that was too thin, lacked good bass definition and accuracy, and overall my disappointment with hours and hours of time spent to no avail of getting satisfaction. So the dealer started laughing at me and said just get an amp 300 watts plus per channel and that will be the right start. My problem was underpowered amp for the space and speaker demands. He recommended the 350 watt MC352 which I purchased and wrestled into the amp space in the audio room. (At 115 pounds its a hunk to move around)
Immediately the 3.6rs came to life. The bass was alive and accurate, bass drum and deep orchestra effects were fantastic. Dead Can Dance Spirit chaser, jazz tracks with acoustic bass sounded like acoustic bass and percussion instruments came to life! Imaging improved and the sound was wonderful. Now I know some decry the coupling transformer used by Mcintosh in their big amps and having run with and without it the 2105 & 352 vs. the 2120s, it MAKES a big difference. The longtime friend at the stereo store was right. I simply needed a GOOD quality STIFF 350 watt per channel amp to bring the speakers alive. Your preference tube or solid state the MC352 is right for me. Its NEUTRAL transparent insertion on the audio chain mirrors in quality the sound of my Grado RS2 headphones. Its like sitting in a big headphone room except the sound stage is like having the vocals and instruments there right in front of you with a depth and realism that is most satisfying. About the closest I have come to the same experience is with the 150watt per channel VTL amp-preamp on a pair of Meadowlark Nighthawks with the same dynamic range, impact on base drum, upright string base acoustic action in jazz groups work or Kevin Mos latest revival album of peacenik songs from the 60s.
So when you are examining amps decide 2 questions. 1 How much maintenance to do ( tubes, bias etc.) and 2 type of sound quality. The VTLs and several others are superb. No sense in re-vamping the much flogged horse of amplification. But if you want solid state (like I do for the lack of heat and less maintenance) I strongly recommend the transparent sound of the Mcintosh MC352. At 350 Watts per channel (continuous from 2 to 8 ohms) at .005% distortion it will take your 3.6rs to a sweet spot most satisfying (at least for me in my modest listening room).
Best regards- |
I'm using the Innersound esl amp to drive 1.6's and absolutely love the sound. Another amp that I used before didn't have the power to open up the 1.6's, but once the Innersound esl amp was substituted, the maggies woke up with incredible dynamics. Althought I haven't heard the Innersound mono amps, here is a review that was used with the 3.6's. http://www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/innersound_esl_800.htm
Good luck in your search. |
I'm driving my 3.6's with a Bel Canto Evo4, Accuphase DP 55V front end and a Mac c-46. The system sounds great but I have recently experienced some mechanical hum from the Bel Canto. It is being taken care of now and being upgradeddto a gen II.
Assuming the hum goes away, it's hard to imagine any amp sounding better! I've tried quite a few. I'm thinking of upgrading my Kimber 8TC cables and maybe adding a DAC |
I have been hanging around with these speakers for some time. So when it came to putting together a second system It was hard not to buy maggies. The system is for a lake house, music only and will see light use. But as you all know when you are bitten by this audio thing it is hard to justify "just getting by" any time it comes to buying this stuff. So with that in mind and within reason could I find the right combination? So, I experimented. Here is my setup:
MG 3.6/R
Siltech LS-80 Bi-wire Speaker Cable with WBT-0645 banana
Kimber KS1030 interconnects
Siltech SPO-12MF power cables on all electronics
Richard Gray RGPC 600S
Shanling CD T-100 CD Player with Parts ConneXion mod
Rotel RB-1090 Power Amp
I do not need a pre amp with this setup. The Shanling can go analog out right into the AMP. The only challenge in this system was the AMP. My main system uses Krell 350 monos. So putting in the Rotel was cost driven and my neighbor would just not let up about how good this amp was for around 2k. It has enough power at 4ohms but could it deliver?
I was shocked. Yes the Krell's are better and more musical but if I never heard them I would not know what I would be missing with the Rotel. The difference is noticeable on specific recordings I am familiar with but if you blind folded me and selected music I have not heard on my system, it would be hard for me to know which amp was being used.
in my opinion any one who is considering buying maggies of any style should consider the following:
The best copper speaker cable you can afford
WBT connectors
Kimber selects (all copper)
Power cables with Richard Gray power conditioner
Any highly rated source (in my opinion tube)
POWER-POWER-POWER 300w or greater (used bryston,Krell ect)or in my case new Rotel.
The system costs were under 8K. The price I paid retail for my original Krell purchase. This system may not be for everyone but I have listened to systems costing 4 and 5 times as much and I dont think to myself WOW what am I missing , Instead I just smile and say nice and then go home put on Natasha Atlas (Something Dangerous) and say "SWEET".
I have recently added the discontinued M&K MX-200 MK II sub $600 from a dealer out of business sale for those summer parties when everyone likes it LOUD AND LOUD. |
I'd try the Bel Canto you are talking about. I read the specs and looks like it has plenty of high current and power for the 3.6s.
Never heard a Bel Canto amp, but suspect it will be more musical than the Bryston from all the reports. |
OK, I am about to buy the 3.6's and I currently have my 1.6qr's amp-ed with a Parasound Halo A21. I was considering a Bryston 14Bsst for the 3.6r's, but a friend had me convinced to go to the Bel Canto eVo 4 Gen II. I have not seen any mention of that amp here. Is there a reason? Any comments?? |
I've used both Spectral 150 Series I and Bel Canto Evo2 amplifiers. The Evo2 sounded great with it! A big soundstage with detail and solid bass. The highs had good extension. For the money (I believe $2900) a good alternative. Given all of the ideas presented it makes sense to see if you can try any at home. |
OK I'm back.
Now Pass 600 in system with big effect. Good dynamic, bass, blue light, everything. I'm happy from desert. |
|
Audience Au24 are the best of the ones I have tried with my Magnepans. |
And please what best speakers cables for MG3.6R ?
I have a Plinius SA250...
Thanks at all
Philippe |
I can't say what is "best", but I have been very happy driving my 3.6Rs with a pair of Aragon Palladium monos. These amps have lots of current, beefy power supplies (although I have been told newer ones have lesser PS).
That being said, Magnepans are very room dependent. I have been focusing a lot of energy into getting the room right for these magical speakers. Many HQ amps will drive these speakers well, provided the room is set up for them, and the AC going to the amps is as good as you can get it.
Room and electrical issues are as big a component as amp choice. Once those are addressed, the speakers are capable of producing world class playback. |
HI
Why nobody write on HAFLER 9505 (2x375watts/4ohms)?
Because it is professionnal gear and not rather espansive ?
However what a sound! |
The big thing with the maggies is the room, not the amp as most people seem to ask about. They are not that big a deal to drive. They need a good deal of room around them to work their magic. A lot of speakers are more of a problem than the maggies. You can drive them with any good amp, you need a big room to get the best out of them. |
I recommend the Ayre V5X. It has great bass control with a deep, real bass presentation (not punchy or bloated). This amp makes me smile and gets my toes tapping. It seems to love the Magiies and the Magiies love it.
Rayd |
Has anyone tried B&K 4420 amps on 3.6 maggies? It is 220 watts and high currentI know it is not in the class of the other amps mentioned but I am considering buying the 3.6's and have this amp.Not enough funds to upgrade amps at this time.I am using an ARC LS2 preamp. Thank you for your responses. |
I ran my Maggies 3.3's with Audio Research gear. I had the tube amps bi-amped with a D-240 Audio Research solic state on the bottom end. Was never quite satisfied. When I wnet to 2 solid state amps a A. R. D240mkII top and one on the bottom end. It all came together for me. I later bought a D400mkII. The two D240's sounded better, cleaner, clearer than one big amp. But the big N on the bottom worked quite well. Used Audio Research LS2B MK II pre. |
I was using a Jadis Defy 7, but didn't like it. I traded it for a Levinson 334. That was much better. It actually sounded more tube like in tonal character than the Jadis. As an additional benefit, the speaker sounded as it was being controlled better also. Transients were tighter and quicker (yet it exhibited no solid state nasties), and the overall tonality was warmer, textures were more fleshed out, and the bass was way, way much better than with the Jadis. I do think, however, that it is just a bit under-powered for the 3.6's (I'd like to hear the 335 or the 336).
In addition, I am running an Audio Aero Capitole MK II directly into the amp with wonderful results. I did try using a tubed preamp (CJ Premier 17LS), but running it directly into the amp improved everything! It really was a no brainer (preamp vs. no preamp)!!
Bottom line, if your room isn't too large, and you don't listen to the Maggies too loud, the Levinson 334 may be just fine, but you may, like me, find yourself wanting more power. |
Woolcott Presence are EXCELLENT with 3.6. Recommend anyone with Woolcotts with Sovtek outputs (which I don't think Woolcott uses anymore) should definitely retube. Electro-harmonix EL34 available @ TheTubeStore.com sound wonderful and are cheap. Also found upgrading 6922s made big difference. (This turned out to be more about Woolcotts than 3.6. Couldn't help it; I think Woolcotts are unmatched at price, and maybe at many times price.) Also found Goetz Python AG2 great match for 3.6 (can only speak how they work with Woolcotts, other amps???). |
Richa,
You are never too late for this discussion.
The real question is how loud will she be playing her music? Does she want to rock at 100 dB? If so, she will need a lot of power.
My vote is for a very high powered solid state design. She could choose a number of units. By the way, how much is she willing to spend? She might try the Classe CAM 350, Brynston 7B SST, the Parasound Halo JC 1, Pass X250/X350, or BAT VK500. For tubes there is the VTL MB 450.
Bi-amping will be expensive: there is the electronic crossover, two amps, and the extra speaker cable.
I hope this helps. |
I am real late in this discussion but the Maggie 3.6 amplifier question came up a dinner last night. My sister is about to purchase these speakers and I told her about the many choices in amplifiaction..with power being important. My big question is whether she should also consider playing with the bi amp crossover option and use a hefty solid state amp and a tube combination that could give her the best of both worlds.However,the more traditional tube pre amp with ss amp probably makes the most sense. She has a fairly large listening area 30x18x12. Anyone played with different bi amp options as described? |
Artar1- Thanks for the input I think you may be right partially about my complaints being related to the no preamp in my system, I have how ever heard the audio aero run direct in two other systems and they did not have this problem, they were also using tube amps as where I am still using a solid state. I do think a lot of my complaints will be taken care of with the Wolcott's- I think I just made my new years resolution! It is a lot of scratch but I do like these speakers- if I can talk her into doing it I want Jena Labs to make me some custom crossovers using what she knows I can only imagine they would be AMAZING, but for the price I would be better off getting the 20.1's and then when money allows have the crossovers upgraded. Choices choices!, Again thank you for your input ~Tim |
Hi Tireguy!
You have reached a very expensive crossroads in the design and development of your system. Because you are not using an active preamp, but instead are running the BAT VK500 directly off your Audio Aero Capitole CD player, you will experience high transparency and detail perhaps at the cost of harmonic body and some loss of soundstage width and depth. To preserve your transparency and detail to a large degree while increasing body, texture, and atmosphere, a tube amplifier would be in order. The Wolcot amp would be a good choice, although I have not seen or heard one. It will set you back by a little over nine thousand. The perfect match with your Maggies would be a VTL MB750, which offers 360 watts triode into a 4 ohm load. I have heard this amp with the Magnepan 3.6/R along with a VAC Renaissance preamp ($28,200), and it was an awesome combination, as one would expect. The VTL had been modified at the factory at no additional cost with a premium wire that improved the upper octave air and detail of the unit. Well, at $20,000, it puts this amp out of reach for me, and this monoblock amp is huge! Not only that, it really pumps out a lot of heat; it could easily warm your living room in winter, I kid you not. I made the mistake of putting my head over one of the amps and got a blast of hot air for my ignorance.
Another alternative would be for you to buy a tubed preamp to increase the body and soundstage width and depth of your system. You will notice an increase in texture and atmosphere too at a cost of ultimate detail and transparency, not to mention a slight increase in noise in the form of tube hiss that you will hear on very quiet passages when you sit a little too close to the Maggies.
Another possibility would be to change loudspeakers and/or to buy the Wolcot amp. But keep in mind that the Wolcot amp will cut your available power in half when compared to the BAT VK500.
These are not good alternatives. It's what keeps us changing equipment in a never-ending quest to find the right system.
Best regards, |
That is cool Artar1.
Personally, I think those tonality problems would be fixed with a better source and better power cords and maybe even a better preamp. Anyway, it is hard to pin down what device is causing any one problem in a system without knowing a system well and a lot of trial and error component replacing.
I think the GamuT should be able to drive the VR4's without any issue.
Anyway, it is good to hear someone say something about the D-200. Because it is not that well known of an amp here in the US, people really do not realize just how great it sounds. At it's price point it is a good value. Used it is practically a steal.
KF |
Hi Tok20000!
I did get a chance to hear the GamuT D200. The system consisted of an Elecrtrocompaniet EMC 1 CD player, a Herron VTSP 1A preamp, and the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III SE loudspeakers with JPS cables and interconnects. The overall sound was excellent, but I felt that the GamuT D200 added what I would describe as a "relentless" quality to the upper midrange, lower treble. The amp was certainly detailed, transparent, and dynamic with an excellent low-end response. The soundstage was wide and deep but not quite as voluminous as some more expensive tubed designs I have heard. There was a lack of harshness, brightness, and grain, but the treble was not quite as airy as a pair of Krell FPB 350 MCs ($17,500), nor did the midrange have the same three-dimensionality and overall atmospheric quality of a VTL MB750 reference ($20,000). But for $5,500, it's a very hot product that will do justice to any system that is tilted more toward the warm side. Perhaps the VR4 Gen III and the D200 are not a good match? As for handling the load presented by the Magnepan 3.6/R, the impendence curve of that loud speaker drops to a low of about 3 ohms, well within the capabilities of the D200.
Best regards, |
Artar1- I do enjoy the VK-500 an aweful lot, how ever I found myself wanting more body in my vocal's and a slightly wider sound stage. Don't get me wrong with this amp I have gotten closer then ever before to audio nirvana in my system, just after several months of listening I have found some room for improvement. As far as the 6200 goes compared to the 500 I don't think the 6200 would hack it with only 2 amp 'cards' so you would need 4 amp 'cards' and biamp the maggies which I am told is the way to go(but with the speaker cables I am using it doesn't make much sense seeing as then cost nearly what the speakers do) but a 6200 with 4 amp 'cards' puts you in a higher price range then I wanted to spend on an amp at the time. I have heard great things about the innersound ESL amp, Roger Sanders is a pleasure to deal with as well- he offers you an in home 30 day trial so you have NOTHING to loose give it a shot, many love his amps. For the price VK-500's are going for I don't think you can go wrong, to my ears the 3.6 is slightly forward sounding so a dark/warm sounding amp helps even things out. I am itchy to try the Boulder 1060, Wolcott presence 220 and the new Tenor solid state amp- I would enjoy the later of the group but at 28k retail I would need to get at least 20.1's not to feel like a fool! I see Wolcott's in my system with in the year :) |
Hi Lance328!
I am not familiar with the Innersound amp. Do you like it? Didn't TAS do an article on it? |
Hi Tireguy!
How do you like the BAT VK500? Have you heard the VK6200? How would you compare the two amps?
The reviews on the VK500 have been very good on Audioreview.com and in the audio press.
From what I have read, the VK500 has a full-bodied, smooth sound reminiscent of tubed equipment while possessing considerable detail, transparency, clarity, dynamics, and bass control. Some, however, consider to be dark sounding, whatever that means. These attributes should work well with my system. If I had chosen a preamp with a big, bold, and vivid sound, like a VAC preamp or maybe even a Conrad Johnson, I would be more inclined to choose either the Pass X250 or the CAM 350, both of which have a faster, somewhat cooler, and learner presentation.
My current amp, the Proceed AMP 5, has a full-bodied, dynamic, sweet, somewhat dark, and slightly rich sound. I am looking for an amp that has these qualities but with more detail, air, and transparency. Perhaps the VK500 will fit this description well.
Best regards, |
I looked up the impedance curve on the 3.6 and it appears in the link below from a Stereophile review. From this data the lowest Z dip is on the high side of 3 ohms just above 10Khz. It looks to be a relatively benign 4 ohm speaker and not too difficult of a load other than needing plenty of power to overcome its lower sensitivity.
From this I would say the Gamut should drive it well. However, this is only my speculation. As Tok2000 stated, one should try it first. |
Altar1,
People are dumping SA250mk4 amps because Plinius is in the process of upgrading their entire amp line. They started with the SA102, and the SA250 will be replaced I am sure as well. Plinius amps are great for driving Maggies. Maggies need and crave power. Plinius amps deliver it.
I think the GamuT D-200 is sonically superior to every one of your amps on your short list. I am selling mine to pay off some impending bills. However, I will replace it with a new D-200 in the future (watch for my review).
This being said about the GamuT D-200, I would NOT recommend buying a D-200 to drive Maggie 3.6's until you hear the results for yourself. The D-200 is a powerful amp; however, it really is not designed for speaker that are very difficult to drive. The 3.6's are on the very edge of what I would drive a D-200 with. HOWEVER, the GamuT might drive the Maggies very well... I would love to hear it tried. Why would I not try to drive the Maggies with the powerful D-200? The D-200 is designed to see a load less than 1.5 ohms as a short, and the circuit protection kicks in and the amp shuts down.
I know Maggie 3.6's dip pretty low in ohms in the bass (I think around 1.5 if I remember), so the D-200 would not be my first amp of choice when laying out a system on paper (without trying it first).
NOW if you have an active crossover from your subs to your Maggies (the subs getting everything below maybe 40hz), I would absolutely reccommend the GamuT D-200. The D-200 is amazingly detailed and transparent with neutrality that few solid state amps achieve (especially in the $8k and under price range).
KF |
How about bye amping the Innersound amps? in comparison? I am running Maggie 3.5s with (1) Innersound and they work well! Not so expensive as your favorites but the company with take them back if your not satisfied and I would like to here your comparison. Seems to be the talk of AA lately. I purchased! |
Hi Tok20000!
I did not know that there was a repair facility in the United States for Plinius amps. That makes a big difference. By far, the Plinius is the best sounding solid state amp I have heard. A new one is not cheap, but the sound quality is wonderful.
Do you know why so many people are selling their SA 250s? Weight would not be a deterrent for me. I use a Proceed AMP 5 in my home theater system, and it weighs more than 100 pounds.
I noticed that you are selling a GamuT D200. It's a nice amp in the right system. Very detailed and sweet sounding with a high degree of transparency. Are you upgrading or are you looking for something else?
Best regards, |
Speaking of High current has any one had the opportunity to try an Accuphase A/50V on a pair of maggies? I am curious what the results would be, only 50 watts but tons of current and the ability to drive the most demanding load with ease, hmmmmmmmm. |
Artar1,
Why would you need to send a Plinius amp back to New Zealand to be fixed???? Last time I checked they have a repair center in Oklahoma in the USA (it may be in NY now). But they have good customer support in the US.
One of the best deals in amplification right now is the Plinius SA250 mk4 used. People are dumping them. It really is a shame. This amp is world class in a lot of ways. My only problem with it is it is a hearnia waiting to strike. It weights something like 150 lbs! Ouch my back!
Another option would be go for mono Bel Canto 200.2 amps. These amps are amazingly powerful, and would probably drive the Maggies very well.
All I would suggest is think power and current. The more power and current your amp has, the better it will be at driving the Maggies. No 100 wpc amp in the world save something like the LAMM M1.1 monoblocks is going to sound as good as the Plinius SA-250 amp into the Maggies. This might be a little bit of an overstatement... but not by much.
KF |
I am very impressed and a little overwhelmed by the response to my question regarding which amp to use with the Maggies. I must say that each one of you have helped sharpen my thinking and test some of my long-standing biases about amplifiers. For this I am very grateful.
If money were less of an object, I would choose one of two amps based on my current system setup: Plinius SA250 MK IV or the Wolcott P220M. While there are many good amps on the market today and many amps would make a very good match with the Maggies, these two units would be the best for my system. Unfortunately, they are outside my budget, and for the Plinius, I must admit that I am a little nervous about buying this amp knowing that I would have to ship it back to New Zealand should it ever need repairing.
Many of you have suggested either ARC or Bryston. The big ARC amps are more than I can afford and I would rather own the Pass or Classe amp over a Bryston. Having said that, I have heard the Magnepan 3.6/R with the Bryston 4B ST and was impressed with how good the system sounded.
I am intrigued by the Halo JC-1 recommendation that several of you have made. To be honest, however, I was not overly impressed with the sound of the less powerful stereo version in the Halo line. With a Halo amp and preamp along with a Sony ES CD player powering a pair of Veritas 2.3 loudspeakers, I found the overall sound to be detailed but rather thin and clinical. On warmer sounding loudspeakers, the Halo equipment might be a good match.
My observation about the Halo equipment raises a concern I have with both the Classe CAM 350s and the Pass X250. In his response, RAL indicated that the X250 sounded a bit cool and lean; that's not the first time I have heard this criticism of this fine amp. As for the CAM 350, Brain Damkroger of Stereophile also mentioned that this Classe amp had a lean sonic cast. If I were using a Conrad Johnson preamp, these concerns would be moot.
Because I am looking for good price/performance, the Theta Dreadnaught and the Belles 350A have to be my top choices. Either amp will deliver a full-bodied sound with plenty of transparency and detail for my tastes. To this list I will also add the McIntosh 352. It has a full-bodied sound as well while having all the power I need. It costs about $4,500.
I will also audition the Pass X250 and CAM 350, but my preferences are leaning toward the units mentioned above.
Once again I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to answer my questions. You have helped me a lot in my purchasing decision.
Best regards, |
Thanks everyone for your very thoughtful responses to my question about which amp to use with the Maggies. I just got back from my Christmas vacation. I will post a more detailed response after I have read each of your responses carefully. Thanks again and Happy New Year! |
The Wolcotts, will power and control your maggies like few others will. They are also one cool looking and functioning set of mono blocks. Jadis Defy7 MK3 or MK4 will also leave you smilling.....passion and punch!
dan |
I have owned 3 pair of 3.6's and now MG IIIA's (just sold)
but the best amp for them, from what I have owned & heard
is the Spectron D-1.
I sold the Maggies for a pair of Green Mountain C-3's, and
am selling he Spectron D-1 to buy a Spectron Musician II.
But great sound from them Maggies with that amp. |
I would not recommend the Simaudio Moon W-5. I used it with the Maggie 3.6's and thought it had a lot to be desired.
KF |
Think power supply and than research Simaudio Moon W-5 and Bryston 7B SST or 9B. |
Ideally you should listen to any potential 'buy' with your speakers in your room, but a second best would be to listen to the 3.6's in a dealer's room. You don't mention how loudly you listen. That's a factor as a 3 db increase in loudness requires 2 times the power. I'm using a Bel Canto Evo2 and am quite happy with the results. Brian D. in Stereophile found the Classe CAM 350's to be a great match.
Good luck! |
I third McIntosh. I have heard the smaller Magnepans (2.?) with a McIntosh MC202 and it was beautiful. Tireguy's dealer comments are dumb IMO. Any amp has issues with bad speaker impedance curves but there are some darn good engineers that spend their time and effort to design it so that it is stable into that low load, and that is what we are paying good money for. If all you had to do was toss transistors together, anyone would be building amps but the trick is to make them stable. When you pay thousands of dollars for an amp, it will be stable with a Magnepan load unless it is a really sucky design and some may not like McIntosh but will concede it is not a crappy design. Besides they are autoformer coupled which is a buffer to the devices so if anything, the McIntoshes will be more stable than brand x. Anyway, sorry for ranting.
There are past posts on Maggies and McIntosh where many responses support my feeling on it. Search the archives and see. McIntosh isn't the only good one of course, include Pass and Classe too IMO. Arthur |
Second the Bryston 4b-st...a buddy has this combo with his 1.6s...and it is sweet...Bryston have a tendency to really bring out the best in planar bass...speed,definition,and with this much juice...pretty good dynamic "punch"...some have commented on Bryston being a bit "hard" sounding on vocals...I haven't had that experience...they are very nuetral...and ofcourse...legendary build quality... |
I've had my MG3.6 for about 2.5 years now and have tried quite a few amps, though nothing super expensive (>$10K). I've never been completey happy with pure-tube or pure-SS driving them. You need either a very powerful tube amp with high damping factor (to control the bass), or a highly refined SS amp to avoid transistor harshness which WILL be revealed by these speakers. Among the tube amps already suggested above I'd add Wolcott monoblocks, which sound pretty good on the 3.6. As for Pass-X amps, IMO they sound too lean and cool, though very refined (I like Aleph better). I think panel speakers tend to sound lean anyway and need some "body" in the midrange. I've tried Belles 350A: it sounds tube-like (full midrange) but not as liquid in the upper mids.
In the end, the best strategy for MG3.6 is active biamping (bypassing the external passive xover box). This has allowed me to experiment with different amps for bass and mid/hi. The speakers really open up and dynamics improve. Bit of a hassle to match amps though, and you need to introduce an active crossover between preamp and amps. (There are a lot of threads on Audio Asylum about this.) I'm using a Marchand 3-way xover, since I send the lowest frequencies to a sub, which greatly relieves the Maggies of trying to reproduce <40Hz.
I've tried many amp combos for driving the bass (40-250Hz) and the mid/hi (250Hz-up) sections of the MG3.6, and among my favorite have been Bryston 4Bst on bottom with Belles 350A on top (nearly equal gain amps); also two Llano Design Trinity hybrid tube/SS amps, using a tube-type in each amp that is best suited for that freq. range. (The Llano's are my current setup.)
Again, I'd suggest wandering through the AA planar speaker archives, where many opinions on driving MG3.6 can be found. Good luck! |
