2. amps-preamps
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Need inexpensive amp help and questions on Hype

As a budding audiophile im trying to put together a half satisfying system on a budget. Im looking for a Amp-Preamp combo or an integrated in the $1000 or under range .... less is better!! It will be driving Magnepan SMGa speakers but i hope to upgrade to 1.6’s in a year or two so the amp should have the oomph!! to power them. The amp(pre) should have a tape loop. A phono would be nice but not a must. I listen to jass, blues, pop, classical and folk, so a well rounded amp is preferred. I have not had a chance to listen to much yet but have compared a Naim Nait 3 with a Rega Mira and liked the Naim more mostly because of the much tighter, deeper, and richer bass ...... This helped the SMGa’s
Thin bass immensely. Sooooo .... I think you get the idea of what i might be looking for and any suggestions would be wonderful. There is so much stuff out there i get a little lost
After hours of searching the web for info on this subject have seen a lot of things that make me curious. There seams to be a lot of hype in this price range ie: This ss amp is warmer and richer most $3000 tubes, This tube amp has the drum tight thunder and sparkling clarity of a ss amp at 3 times the price!!, Hybrid amps are the wave of the future because it has the best of both worlds............. Just to pick on one of these guys i have questions about the Jolida 1501. I have never listened to this product so i have no opinion on the sound. After reading just about everything i can find about this integrated, in many ways this sounds like what im looking for. But after all the glowing reviews and boasting, and almost nothing bad or even constructively critical. It leaves me a little ....... suspicious about this product ( just one example of many, nothing personal Joilda!). Are my 21st century consumer goods B.S. screening filter tuned in right or is it out of phase??

Thanks........*Bill......
bkcme
john_l
782 posts
 
I do agree that a solid state amp has a little more bass, but the cj mv-55 is still far and away my number one recommendation at a low price point. In fact that combination (mv-50) is the highest performance/buck I've yet heard.

Tubes are a wonderful, synergistic match for magnepans, and truly bring them alive. I tried several other solid state amps (dna 1revagold, aleph 2), and they sound really dull and lifeless by comparison.

The mv-55 only takes 4 EL-34 tubes, so retubing the power tubes is dirt cheap at $75 or so. Maggies eat tubes up fast, so most tube amps are too costly to run with it. Also, even with a big ss amp, the 1.6's really don't have powerful bass. Lastly, and of note, the 45w mv-50 I owned actually had superior bass with the magnepans compared to my 100w vt100. No doubt about it, and I'm not the only one who heard it.

Check out the review of the mv-60 amplifier on soundstage.com. They actually test with a magnepan 1.6 with it.

Just my opinion and preference.
sek
105 posts
 
I also suggest that you listen to a NAD C370. While it definitely lacks the hype (and the prestige that goes with it), it is a powerful integrated amplifier with prodigious bass. It is also an outstanding value, though it does lack a phono input.

It is always essential to keep your b.s. detector tuned and sensitive. Without it, even your hearing (which should be the final arbiter in the selection of audio gear) will be compromised.
nearsota
46 posts
 
I have set of Maggie 1.4's and auditioned alot of Amps and pre-amp combo's before settling on a used B&K ST-202 and a Rotel Pre-Amp.
I had a NAD pre-Amp that was not as good as Rotel's!

The ST-202 I had Modified!Would have been able to live with the stick model,but wanted it updated!

Rotel Amp was my seconf choice,but I thought it added it's own coloration to it!

NAD Amps were good ,but I thought the B&KRotels were of better quality and the B&K sounded more natural!

Happy Hunting!
nearsota
46 posts
 
I read that here I believe!Post above!
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