I have Maggie 1.7s. I went from a Rogue Cronus Magnum to a Rogue Pharaoh. As good as the Magnum is, the Pharaoh was far & away better. Then I went from the Pharaoh to a Prima Luna Dialouge Premium. Once again, the Prima Luna was a significant improvement across everything. I have a Nad 375bee coming to drive my home theater speakers (in the same room) and serve as a back up to drive the 1.7s. I will let you know the synergy. Note: I also use a sub in the system. I was using a Rel t7 sub, but it fried a diode. While it's down & I get around to ordering parts, I put in a PSB subwoofer. I'll be honest. I like the PSB much better... just sounds better. Go figure.
Building an all analog system around Magnepan .7 for 4K and under
Dear Friends,
My wife and I are professional musicians, and we are saving up for a system to listen to mainly classical and jazz on vinyl. I'm a jazz drummer, and she is a classical double bassist. The more realistic our system is to our real instruments, the happier we are. We will be using this in a medium/smallish 12' x 11' room.
We will not need a dac, just speakers, amp, turntable. We prefer an integrated amp with a phono preamp, to keep the set up simple as possible but we can consider buying an external phono preamp,
I've read recommendations for for Rogue Sphinx and Pioneer Plx-1000 to go with this system, but I was wondering if there are any other suggestions for our needs. We are also open to set ups that we can build on in the future, Like buying a Nad C 375 BEE and bridging it with a C 275BEE couple of years down the road, or buying a subwoofer later.
Thanks again for your input,
Emre
My wife and I are professional musicians, and we are saving up for a system to listen to mainly classical and jazz on vinyl. I'm a jazz drummer, and she is a classical double bassist. The more realistic our system is to our real instruments, the happier we are. We will be using this in a medium/smallish 12' x 11' room.
We will not need a dac, just speakers, amp, turntable. We prefer an integrated amp with a phono preamp, to keep the set up simple as possible but we can consider buying an external phono preamp,
I've read recommendations for for Rogue Sphinx and Pioneer Plx-1000 to go with this system, but I was wondering if there are any other suggestions for our needs. We are also open to set ups that we can build on in the future, Like buying a Nad C 375 BEE and bridging it with a C 275BEE couple of years down the road, or buying a subwoofer later.
Thanks again for your input,
Emre
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- 28 posts total
I just auditioned .7s with the Sphinx and the NAD C368 at my local dealer. I also listen primarily to classical, jazz and acoustic. The NAD was much brighter, too much so for my taste, so I went with the Sphinx. The Maggies have enough bass for me, and I've still never heard a speaker that reproduces a violin or piano or voice like they do. The equipment hasn't arrived yet, but I will be using it with a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and Blue Jeans cables in a 14x17 room. You could certainly step up to a Rega TT and suitable cartridge and make your budget. |
One should not overlook a really good analog TT/TA setup that is somewhat new. Check out the following: The PolyTable SUPER 12 http://hifigem.com/PolyTableSUPER12.html George Merrill has been making TT's since 1979 and this model is getting rave reviews. Easily besting TT's selling for $10K. Best of luck |
Another option you might consider is getting one of the new tube preamps from Schiit Audio, like the Frea, then pairing it with a brute SS amp like a used Sunfire. You'd come in at around the same $$$ as a new Sphinx but with more power. I'm a fan of Maggies, but for a room that size, I highly recommend considering some nice 2-way monitors. You'd be surprised how good a soundstage such speakers can create in a small room. Kef LS50s or some Ascend Acoustics Sierras should work well in room that size. |
- 28 posts total