I owned the MG3.6's and powered them with Parasound JC1 mono's (400w/ch). I always took it as fact based on comments like those from Macdadtexas that the maggies needed big muscular SS power amps to sound their best.
Those assumptions vanished when I put a pair of Atma-Sphere MA-1's on the maggies while I waited for my new speakers to be finished and shipped. I bought the MA1's to power the new speakers. The 140w/ch MA1's were extraordinary with the MG3.6's!!! If I hadn't already put 1/2 down on the new speakers, I may have cancelled that order.
It should be understood that I assumed they would sound ok at lower volume levels, but probably a little "closed in". This is something I noticed with smaller SS designs with the MG3.6's so I assumed it would be similar. I wasn't even going to try to play them at normal listening levels, but after hearing how spectacular they sounded at low levels, I continued to inch the volume up until they were sounding extraordinary at fairly loud levels.
I called my friend immediately (he owned the MG3.6's too and powered them with a McCormack DNA-2 Limited with all the SMC upgrades). He was very familiar with the sound of my system with the JC1's. One minute into a familiar song played at our normal (fairly loud) listening level, his jawed dropped and he said, "I had no idea the Maggies could sound like this!". When I had told him earlier in the day that I was thinking about hooking up the MA1's just see what it sounded like, he thought it was a waste of time. He too had made incorrect assumptions regarding the Maggies and the Atma-Sphere OTL's for that matter.
I wouldn't attempt to play the maggies at ear-splitting levels with the MA1's, but if you listen to jazz, blues, classic rock, or classical at reasonably loud levels, they will make music better than any SS amp in my opinion based on how the JC1's and McCormack compared, or rather didn't compare.
I never attempted to try the Zero's. More potential may be possible with those. But please, everyone, at least with the Maggies, challenge those "truisms". Great music awaits you if you do.
Those assumptions vanished when I put a pair of Atma-Sphere MA-1's on the maggies while I waited for my new speakers to be finished and shipped. I bought the MA1's to power the new speakers. The 140w/ch MA1's were extraordinary with the MG3.6's!!! If I hadn't already put 1/2 down on the new speakers, I may have cancelled that order.
It should be understood that I assumed they would sound ok at lower volume levels, but probably a little "closed in". This is something I noticed with smaller SS designs with the MG3.6's so I assumed it would be similar. I wasn't even going to try to play them at normal listening levels, but after hearing how spectacular they sounded at low levels, I continued to inch the volume up until they were sounding extraordinary at fairly loud levels.
I called my friend immediately (he owned the MG3.6's too and powered them with a McCormack DNA-2 Limited with all the SMC upgrades). He was very familiar with the sound of my system with the JC1's. One minute into a familiar song played at our normal (fairly loud) listening level, his jawed dropped and he said, "I had no idea the Maggies could sound like this!". When I had told him earlier in the day that I was thinking about hooking up the MA1's just see what it sounded like, he thought it was a waste of time. He too had made incorrect assumptions regarding the Maggies and the Atma-Sphere OTL's for that matter.
I wouldn't attempt to play the maggies at ear-splitting levels with the MA1's, but if you listen to jazz, blues, classic rock, or classical at reasonably loud levels, they will make music better than any SS amp in my opinion based on how the JC1's and McCormack compared, or rather didn't compare.
I never attempted to try the Zero's. More potential may be possible with those. But please, everyone, at least with the Maggies, challenge those "truisms". Great music awaits you if you do.