Which Amp for Magnepan MG 3.6/R?

I have been hanging around with these speakers for some time. So when it came to putting together a second system It was hard not to buy maggies. The system is for a lake house, music only and will see light use. But as you all know when you are bitten by this audio thing it is hard to justify "just getting by" any time it comes to buying this stuff. So with that in mind and within reason could I find the right combination? So, I experimented. Here is my setup:

MG 3.6/R
Siltech LS-80 Bi-wire Speaker Cable with WBT-0645 banana
Kimber KS1030 interconnects
Siltech SPO-12MF power cables on all electronics
Richard Gray RGPC 600S
Shanling CD T-100 CD Player with Parts ConneXion mod
Rotel RB-1090 Power Amp

I do not need a pre amp with this setup. The Shanling can go analog out right into the AMP. The only challenge in this system was the AMP. My main system uses Krell 350 monos. So putting in the Rotel was cost driven and my neighbor would just not let up about how good this amp was for around 2k. It has enough power at 4ohms but could it deliver?

I was shocked. Yes the Krell's are better and more musical but if I never heard them I would not know what I would be missing with the Rotel. The difference is noticeable on specific recordings I am familiar with but if you blind folded me and selected music I have not heard on my system, it would be hard for me to know which amp was being used.

in my opinion any one who is considering buying maggies of any style should consider the following:

The best copper speaker cable you can afford
WBT connectors
Kimber selects (all copper)
Power cables with Richard Gray power conditioner
Any highly rated source (in my opinion tube)
POWER-POWER-POWER 300w or greater (used bryston,Krell ect)or in my case new Rotel.

The system costs were under 8K. The price I paid retail for my original Krell purchase. This system may not be for everyone but I have listened to systems costing 4 and 5 times as much and I don’t think to myself “WOW what am I missing” , Instead I just smile and say nice and then go home put on Natasha Atlas (Something Dangerous) and say "SWEET".

I have recently added the discontinued M&K MX-200 MK II sub $600 from a dealer out of business sale for those summer parties when everyone likes it LOUD AND LOUD.

I'm driving my 3.6's with a Bel Canto Evo4, Accuphase DP 55V front end and a Mac c-46. The system sounds great but I have recently experienced some mechanical hum from the Bel Canto. It is being taken care of now and being upgradeddto a gen II.

Assuming the hum goes away, it's hard to imagine any amp sounding better! I've tried quite a few. I'm thinking of upgrading my Kimber 8TC cables and maybe adding a DAC

I'm using the Innersound esl amp to drive 1.6's and absolutely love the sound. Another amp that I used before didn't have the power to open up the 1.6's, but once the Innersound esl amp was substituted, the maggies woke up with incredible dynamics. Althought I haven't heard the Innersound mono amps, here is a review that was used with the 3.6's. http://www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/innersound_esl_800.htm
Good luck in your search.

We had a bit of trial to get the amps right for the 3.6r. The 3.6's replaced some tired British speakers and as I had owned a pair of Maggies 20 years ago I was looking forward to the experience. However the 2105 Mac amp was just not up to the task. While the sound was tube like, the bass was muddied and lacked clarity and punch. Amber like tonality permeated the music driving me crazy. I know these speakers should sound better than this!

So for the next year or so I played with different amps finally settling on a pair of bi-amp’d 2120s. The sound still was too stiff, thin at times and no matter where I placed the speakers, while the soundstage was impressive, the overall quality of the image suffered. I finally began looking at new speakers, Meadowlarks, B&W etc… trying to find that “sound.”

I happened to call one of my favorite Mcintosh dealers ( I have traded gear with them for many years,) and lamented my 3.6r problem of a sound that was too thin, lacked good bass definition and accuracy, and overall my disappointment with hours and hours of time spent to no avail of getting satisfaction. So the dealer started laughing at me and said just get an amp 300 watts plus per channel and that will be the right start. My problem was underpowered amp for the space and speaker demands. He recommended the 350 watt MC352 which I purchased and wrestled into the amp space in the audio room. (At 115 pounds it’s a hunk to move around)

Immediately the 3.6r’s came to life. The bass was alive and accurate, bass drum and deep orchestra effects were fantastic. Dead Can Dance ‘Spirit chaser’, jazz tracks with acoustic bass sounded like acoustic bass and percussion instruments came to life! Imaging improved and the sound was wonderful. Now I know some decry the coupling transformer used by Mcintosh in their big amps and having run with and without it the 2105 & 352 vs. the 2120s, it MAKES a big difference. The longtime friend at the stereo store was right. I simply needed a GOOD quality STIFF 350 watt per channel amp to bring the speakers alive. Your preference tube or solid state the MC352 is right for me. It’s NEUTRAL transparent insertion on the audio chain mirrors in quality the sound of my Grado RS2 headphones. It’s like sitting in a big headphone room except the sound stage is like having the vocals and instruments there right in front of you with a depth and realism that is most satisfying. About the closest I have come to the same experience is with the 150watt per channel VTL amp-preamp on a pair of Meadowlark Nighthawks with the same dynamic range, impact on base drum, upright string base acoustic action in jazz groups work or Kevin Mos’ latest revival album of peacenik songs from the 60s.

So when you are examining amps decide 2 questions. 1 How much maintenance to do ( tubes, bias etc.) and 2 type of sound quality. The VTLs and several others are superb. No sense in re-vamping the much flogged horse of amplification. But if you want solid state (like I do for the lack of heat and less maintenance) I strongly recommend the transparent sound of the Mcintosh MC352. At 350 Watts per channel (continuous from 2 to 8 ohms) at .005% distortion it will take your 3.6r’s to a sweet spot most satisfying (at least for me in my modest listening room).

Best regards-

H2o amp by Henry Ho is an ICE chip amp with gobs of power. It is being used on Apogee Scintillas so it should easily handle the 3.6. There is a review of it on Asylum with the 2.6.