Sanders Magtech versus Spectron Musician 3 Mk2

neither of these amps sound sterile, or whatever 2 dollar words you guys "think" to use to sound sophisticated.

sterile, thin, bloated, ringy, crusty, tinny, any of this crap is just wrong.

so, a straight wire with gain (which BOTH of these amps accomplishes very well) is not right for you, so be it.
Im not an owner of the Magtech (YET) soon, very soon.
I have heard both amps and they do not sound the same, even with the same speakers. i loved the sound of both of these amps, hell, any descent amp sounds good, its the speakers, or sources that were not good.
i do feel the magtech is a little better value wise, power, sound, playing much more clear, especially at ear bleeding levels, where the Spectron started to break up the highs, and bass where as the magtech kept flying along. Those who have the planar speakers, are "usually not" looking for live concert volume ala Motorhead etc.

if you want a beautiful sounding stereo with planar speakers, or if you don’t play very loud, the Spectron is superb! everything just fits into place, its a damn solid amplifier.

don’t let people sway you with these meaningless words. they know not what they are saying, nor the ears or speakers to substantiate their thoughtless claims.

listen to both of them in YOUR system for proof of just how good they are. if i had the funds, i would have a room full of amps who others claim sound poor, but to me they are all good. let YOUR ears judge.


for what its worth, these two amps are totally different layouts. the innards are completely different.
different output, input, capacitors, power supply, thermaltrak transistors, or huge power storing capacitors, two completely different beasts. 

Initial impressions for the Spectron from a few days ago are that it's not as refined or transparent as the Magtech, and it sounds a little edgier. However, I need to allow it to power up for longer. That was just an initial back-and-forth test from the Magtech to the Spectron and back to the Magtech.

Spectron changed out the left channel board, so it may require break-in again, which I've heard is lengthy.

Switched out the amps again today. Played music through the Spectron for a little over an hour. There's a slight amount of noise when there's no sound playing but you have to have your ear fairly close to the tweeter to hear it. The Magtech is definitely quieter. Also, the Spectron seems to have some interference issue; I would intermittently hear static through the right channel. It may be related to my cell phone's activity. I still think the Magtech sounds more natural, but the Spectron may throw a slightly deeper soundstage and may have slightly better imaging.

Ok I tested again after leaving both on for a few days. They definitely sound fairly similar. The Spectron may have slightly better vocals and sounds a little more forward/edgy, and the Magtech sounded slightly more natural. I think the Spectron sounded better with balanced cables with my Aesthetix Calypso Signature, but the Sanders sounds better with RCA. Roger Sanders actually recommends RCA. I still couldn’t figure out the interference issue with the Spectron, so I'm keeping the Magtech.

If I were to recommend one over the other, I’d probably recommend the Spectron since it’s generally cheaper on the used market, assuming that there are no reliability issues.

Anyone know anyone that can repair Spectron amplifiers?

Does anyone know who has schematics for this amp and/or schematics for the power modules?

Does anyone know who owns the patents or intellectual property surrounding Spectron?

Please advise. Any info would be a big help.