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Amp recommendations

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to the hi fi world in general. I was recently drawn to the sound of a display Martin Logan Montis at a Bestbuy store even though I was there for something else. I never knew speakers could sound that good. I have since been doing lots of reading, on this site and elsewhere, and this week purchased a pair of the Expression 13A.

So far this is the only gear I have; just figured  I should start with the speakers. I just have no idea what amp to buy. Much less speaker cables/streaming gear etc. I think every time I heard Martin logan speakers demoed (I've visited several stores) they were hooked up to Mcintosh tube amps. I visited a local high end AV store yesterday and he was pushing real hard for me to get the Mac..particularly the MA7900. They're quite expensive though, are they worth the price premium over other brands? I'd really like to get an Integrated amp because I don't want a lot of gear and it seems like it would keep the over all price down some. I'd like to get something that would sound great for ~$5k give or take, new or used. I don't mind paying a bit more, however, provided the additional money makes a real difference in sound quality.

I must admit I'm not well versed on all the audiophile jargon and have no idea what ohms, impedance, crossover etc mean so it's a bit hard for me to even know what will power my speakers. I don't know if getting a tube or SS amp is better for my speakers. I just want an amp that's low maintenance and sounds great for a reasonable price.

I'd appreciate some recommendations from you guys so at least I know where to start looking. Please let me know if you need any additional info.

Thanks!
Chuck.
devlep
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,806 posts
 
A set of ZEROs will allow most tube amplifiers to drive the MLs quite nicely. This is a good move, as the speakers are very revealing and you will enjoy the extra detail that many tube amps bring to the table (there is a reason that Best Buy showed the ML speakers with Macintosh tube amps). While it might be fun at first, you may find that the typical brightness of many solid state amps on the MLs will get tiring. If you do go solid state, the Pass Labs amps are some of the best out there.

But I suggest you try tubes- you may not want to go back. The ZEROs are so effective with this speaker that our amps work quite nicely with them.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
+1 atmasphere.
Do you think the Zero's would allow him to use the integrated Mac's (that sounds a bit racist, doesn't it?).
B
gaal
64 posts
 
I own ML Ethos speakers and they are teamed with the following components - PS Audio Direct Stream DAC, M700 mono block amplifiers; High Fidelity Cables Reveal RCA interconnects; Audible illusions L3A preamp; and ANTICABLES L5 speaker wires. Good components and interconnects are very important to quality sound. However, I found spending a couple hundred dollars to treat your listening area made a tremendous difference to my listening experience. It is worthwhile to do some reading on room treatments. I have 2" pyramid foam on my front listening wall that improved my system more than any component that I purchased - the foam I purchased was just over $80!!
Ag insider logo xs@2x
greginnh
382 posts
 
There is an Accuphase E-470 with phono stage for sale on this site.  It will run circles around the McIntosh Integrated amps.
devlep OP
4 posts
 
Once again, thanks everyone. I still haven’t made a purchase but I have gone up on my budget some.

@greginnh I’m not familiar with the brand (which of course isn’t saying much). However, it is rated 180 wpc; will it perform better than the MA8000? I have an offer to purchase a lightly used MA8000 for $6500..and it’s 300 wpc.

@soix You make good points, I’m trying to take my time and do some vetting, but I do wanna start enjoying my speakers. I’ll call ML this week and see what they recommend..

I’ll keep you all posted. Thanks!
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