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Integrated amp recommendation for Maggie .7's

As the title states I'm looking for an amp recommendation for my Magnepan .7's.

I'm currently using a Belles Aria Signature pre with a pair of Signature monos.

@jjss49 recently described the Belles sound thusly:

"i have owned the belles aria (twice), along with numerous hegels, ayres, some upper older musical fidelities

david belles’ aria is a nice integrated, powerful, very stoutly built, nice phono stage in it too (the remote control is downright cheap though)

sonically, i found the belles to have a little more of a brash personality - more treble energy, some sizzle, a little grain, compared to the more refined hegel and ayre sound... so it depends if you want that or your speakers benefit from a little more sizzle up top...

the ayre, hegel and top flight retro musical fidelity amps (a308, muvista etc) provide a degree of treble sophistication of even higher tier solid state amplification (ample detail and soundstaging free of attendant electronic harshness)"

This seems to jive with my own feelings as well. I've owned probably a dozen different pairs of speakers and the Belles gear has always been the common denominator. 

I'd love to keep my budget to $5k new or used. I don't think I can get an Ayre that will mate well with the Maggies at my budget. It's possible that I can get an Aesthetix Mimas used around the $5k mark. 

Hegel is a brand I have absolutely no experience with. 

Much appreciated!

128x128audionoobie
3607
14 posts
 

I have .7i’s and employ a Hegel 190. It’s a handsome beast with plenty of clean power and current.  I also like it has a good streamer built into it.  Save yourself a grand and put that savings into some Audio Quest cables.

audionoobie's avatar
audionoobie OP
361 posts
 

@rodman99999 

- room is 11' x 13'
- i like it to sound as big and full as possible
- i think i only notice the brashness at high volume levels ~85db

Also I do have (2) Rel T5/i subs that I employ occasionally. Sometimes I just like to listen to the Maggies on their own. 

I appreciate everyone's recommendations. However I'm not interested in the Anthem STR. I had that amp for a while and found it to sound slow and sluggish.

I am however intersted in hearing something that's a tad more refined. I'm not sure if the Hegel is the answer to that but I'm intrigued. Also, interested in finding out more about the Luxman. It's a great looking unit.

Thanks all!

ross6860's avatar
ross6860
103 posts
 

My room is nearly the same size as the OPs, but a different shape.  I own a Belles amp (150A "Hot Rod"), and have Magnepan 1.7i in my main system.  The Belles is in the bedroom.

I can't recommend any integrateds but I'm sure the biggest Hegel you can get would drive them.  What I like, you may not.

I've run the Maggies with as little as 25 watts of tube power but IMHO they like big SS power.  My current setup has monos rated at 850 watts into 2 ohms.

I don't find the Belles hard or grainy, but neutral/mellow.  It would probably run out of steam driving the Maggies based on its performance with some inefficient bookshelf speakers.

If you can, audition the new amp in your room (nice room BTW).  I wouldn't recommend a brand since we all hear something different.  Just get good, clean, power rated down to 4 ohms, or lower.

 

mbmi's avatar
mbmi
572 posts
 

My Maggies sound Fantastic with Audio GD tube pre and Peachtree GaN 400 watt class D amp.....Great synergy and sooth as silk. 

secretguy
1,718 posts
 

However I'm not interested in the Anthem STR. I had that amp for a while and found it to sound slow and sluggish.

I am however intersted in hearing something that's a tad more refined

LOL!

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