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Class D vs Class AB - Looking for best used budget amplifier for Magnepan MG12

I am in the market for a budget used amp for my Magnepan MG12.

I tried Parasound classic line, model 2125 and currently using Parasound model 275. Both amps can easily drive the maggies up to 90db without any audible distortion.

I am considering a budget class D amp like Crown, Behringer etc. or a class AB amp with MOSFET output stage, like B&K or other options like, Parasound, NAD, Anthem, Sunfire etc.

Price range $300 - $600 for a used unit.

What I’m looking for is an improvement in power, soundstage and detail to get best performance out of the Maggies MG12 compared to current setup with Parasound 2125 or 275.

Amps came into my mind in that price range so far:

B&K ST125.2

Parasound HCA 1500A

Crown Pro XLi1500

Crown XLS2502


Questions:

1- Can Crown modern Class D-Drive Core Technology like Crown Pro XLi1500 or Crown XLS2502 with lot of power sound as good or better than a class AB amp with maggies?

2- Is B&K ST125.2 a good match or better than Crown XLS2502 - Crown Pro XLi1500 for the MG12? Which one does sound better with the Maggies?

Thanks


thxbest
spatialking's avatar
spatialking
610 posts
 
This is an interesting question.  I have had a Marantz four channel Class D 450W amp on the four subs in my system for some years now.  I often wonder if the sound would be better with a good quality 250 to 275 W Class AB amp.   One of these days I will try swapping out amps and see if it is worth the upgrade cost.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
Whatever the amp type the maggies will benefit from as much clean power as you can throw at it. Current not as critical with Maggies in my experience. I’d just throw the most powerful good quality amp you can manage at them and tweak from there as needed.
lak's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
lak
4,623 posts
 
Possibly a Class D Audio SDS amp with the highest wattage you can find. I saw a used one advertised on another major audio site.
bgoeller
73 posts
 
I have the Magnepan 1.7s, currently driven by an HCA 1500a. I have directly compared the Parasound to a single Crown XL1500, two Crown XL1500s run in mono mode and a single Crown XLS2502. I also tried a B&K st50 just for giggles knowing it was probably under powered. There was an integrated Rotel in there too at some point.

The Parasound was clearly superior to my and my listening partners' ears, especially at lower volumes. The overall presentation, particularly in the higher frequencies, was significantly more musical.

At high volume the Parasound has plenty of juice.
BG

 

gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
If you really want Class D, get the most recent iteration. The technology has been improving by leaps and bounds in the past few years.
If Atmasphere finally gets one to offer, I will be one of the first adopters.
Bob
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