This topic has been covered quite a few times - check the archives for a lot of great choices/advice. You can also visit the maggie user group over at Audio Asylum as well. Quick answer - Bryston 7B's/14B,Sim W-5, big, as in powerful tube amps like AR or Rogue, Krell, bigger Aragon amps, etc...
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Slipknot1 is getting incredibly good sound out of his system with Magnepan 3.6s and Aragon Palladium 1K amplifiers. I was just over there listening again this afternoon and reconfirmed my impression the the Aragon Palladiums are a very good match. . |
Hello, As an owner of Maggie series 3 speakers for about 6 years, I have owned many amps, ARC VT-130, ARC CL-150, Counterpoint NPS400, Wolcott and heard Bryston, BelCanto with these speakers. Yes, more powerful amps in the 200+w range are an absolute must. These speakers have some weaknesses (lack of dynamics, not the greatest low end extension, satisfactory resolution) but they do an outstanding job in 3-dimensional presentation, harmonic richness. I simply have not heard them do their magic with solid state amps. But I have read the Pass amps do quite well here. Without a tube preamp in your system, you absolutely will NOT hear the incredible bloom of these speakers. And when these speakers are separated by 9-10 feet or even more, they fill the space between them like nothing I ever heard ..... until I heard the Soundlabs just recently. The problem is that the Maggies are an outstanding value for what they do. But unfortunately the cost of amplification far exceeds the cost of the speakers. And this is fine up to a point such as $4-5k on the used market for VTL 450, Wolcott, Pass X250/350. As a long time ARC fan, I had little success with their amps and the Maggies. Perhaps the VT200 might work, but going up the line from there makes no financial sense. I found the Counterpoint NPS400 amp to perform far superior to the ARC amps with the Maggies. The Wolcotts brought on a level of musical enjoyment beyond the Counterpoint, but the Counterpoint did everything very well. I still have my NPS400 as it's just too good to sell compared to other amps out there at the same price. There's one on A'gon and this is a steal of a price. What a great start with a new pair of Maggies. I see a lot of systems here where members have these speakers and the rest of their system is mid-fi. This is a true hi-end product that just simply has a mid-fi cost. Without doing it right with the source and electronics, the owner will miss much of the investment. I have recently decided to go with Soundlabs and another amplifier so my Wolcotts are now for sale and my Maggie 3.5s will soon be for sale. Contact me if you're interested in additional information here. John |
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