Sanders Magtech Amp or Bryston 4B-SST2 4 Mags 3.6

There is a sidebar review associated with a review of the King Sound Prince II electrostatics in the February issue of The Absolute Sound page 92. I'm guessing You've already read this comparison of the Bryston 14 500 wpc. with the Sanders.

I find most electrostatic speakers provide an interesting presentation. After a few hours there seems to be something missing. With out some dynamic speakers in the room to compare I can't put into words what I'm hearing. Robert Green's review of the sound of the Prince II's before and after using the Sanders must be what I've been missing. By the electrostatics very nature it could very well be the fault of the amplification.

If I owned any electrostatic speakers I wouldn't hesitate in getting an amplifier designed by one of the premier electrostatic designers of our time. It seems power supply regulation is a serious shortcoming when it comes to driving demanding loads.

This could also be what I find fatiguing about many linear solid state amplifiers and what lead me to switching amplifiers. I'm very interested in the Sanders especially at $5 per watt.

No surprise that you started a new thread.

You can ask for amp recommendations all day long and members will chime in with their opinions, but until you actually get something in front of you and listen for yourself in your room, you will have no clue on how it sounds.

There are to many factors that come in to play....your room, source, other equipment, etc...so the best thing to do is get the system up and running , listen for a while and then make changes as needed.

Sorry if it seems that I am being rude, but there is plenty of info in the forums regarding Maggie / amp combos + members have chimed in to your previous posts ....and members have even mentioned that the 3.6's are probably to big for your room, but yet you are still determined to get them.
So, if they end up being to big for your room, then what are you going to do ?

I'm new to Audiogon so excuse me for infringing on any rules, but to me one of the great things about Audiogon is to do research before one makes a decision. I agree, in a perfect world, I would have a stereo dealer in my town who would let me borrow different amplifiers to pair with my speakers. I would have a dealer who would take back the Mag 3.6's if they didn't work. But from my limited experience, that doesn't seem to be the case any more. And if I buy a Bryston and don't like the sound, I would then have to go through the process of selling it. Why not tap this vast community of knowledge first? Thankfully, many people have been generous with their time and experience. I'm also still not familiar with how to access some of the past threads, but I'm learning how to do that more every day. Laurence

"If I owned any electrostatic speakers I wouldn't hesitate in getting an amplifier designed by one of the premier electrostatic designers of our time "

If so then you must consider Spectron Audio Musician III amplifier. It has been designed by John Ulrick co-founder (w/A. Nudell) of famous Infinity.

My speakers while not electrastatics are extremely power hungry Sasha by David Wilson - the most power hungry speakers in his line. I own pair of Musician monoblocks and I enjoy musicality, finesse of the sound. These amps provide efforless presentation, huuuuge dynamic range and furious slam - exactly what I hear in the concert hall.

I know many owners of Maggies 3.6 and 20 etc are also have these amazing amplifiers and also immensely happy with them.

Mike

Michael, you bet. After reading Sanders white paper his Magtech has many of the attributes class D switching amplifiers minus any of the RF emissions they seem to produce. This one issue has been addressed by many switching amplifier designers by various means but the basic high speed switching is the nature of the beast and that is still happening. Unless someone can explain to me how they've eliminated the RF completely then it's just a band aid.

Another compelling attribute of the Magtech's regulation is its ability to maintain voltage from AC mains. Considering all the money we invest in our systems we're forced to feed it crap for power like putting kerosene in a Ferrari.

I'm so not a fan of electrostatics but to be honest Sanders has a whole system approach worked out which I haven't heard. I'm also taken by all of his white papers but I'm typically a sucker for sensible sounding theory from someone with a substantial reputation.

Ldwort, Riley is right but it has become very difficult to audition equipment even in a large urban area. My suggestion would be to contact the manufacture and discuss auditioning. Some charge full price until it's returned or they may suggest someone in your area who owns the product and is willing to help you with an audition. Another switching amplifier that was designed for electrostatics and can be found used is H2O.