2. amps-preamps
  3. 183142-93252

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
stanleylocke
240 posts
 

If you would be interested in a Musical Fidelity M6si let me know.

 

5560
47 posts
 

I heard the i50 at the Florida Audio Expo last month and I knocked out by the sound. I was ready purchase the amplifier until I found out that amplifier’s balanced inputs are not compatible with a signal beyond 2 volts. Most every DAC that has a fully balanced design, sounds best from its balanced output and nearly all normally output voltages well over 3volts. According to ARC, normal balanced voltages will over drive its input stage. The i50 is not even compatible with Audio Research’s own DAC9 if balanced connections are employed. It was likely a design oversight to incorporate balanced inputs on the i50. This was disappointing news.

arnold_h
99 posts
 

For a budget of less than $5k, unless you run into a wicked deal on a good quality class A/AB amp,  I would consider a decent class D amp. Preferably something that can put out at least 350-400 watts into 4 ohms. I run my LRS with a Peachtree Audio Gan 400. No problems, sounds great,  and run it direct from my source, Oppo 205 with no preamp in the chain.  

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