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Appropriate Power for 1.7i's

I am sure this is the type of question that gets asked a lot, so I beg your indulgence for one more:

I have recently upgraded my speakers to a pair of Magnepan 1.7i's.  I am enjoying these speakers even though I know they are not receiving an optimal signal.  My goal is to provide a better signal.
 
My primary source is TIDAL HiFi, and here is my current setup

Power:  Yamaha HTR-5450 (only front channels used).  Ostensibly 85 w/channel --- I am aware that the specs for home theater receivers tend to be -ah optimistic.

DAC:  ifi nano iDSD (burr-brown)

Digital signal provided by PC

My budget for upgrading the Yamaha is modest:  $700-$900

Here is my want list:

100+ w/channel Stereo into 4 ohms.  ( I have no need for more channels):  Preferably Class A/B  (as opposed to D)

I am not opposed to purchasing used, in spite of the additional effort involved.

I am considering the Denon Heos and  Sonos Connect as a preamp.  I am not opposed to an integrated amp, but I like the fact that these units allow me to control my selection via a phone app (my phone is an LGv20 w/ Android 7).  Since I tend to listen to albums rather than individual songs or even playlists, the lack of this convenience is not a deal killer for me.


128x128markainsworth
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Careful, Mark. Many years ago I had the Carver TFM-35 when I bought a new pair of Apogee Stages. The dealer said the amp would work fine with the Stages. It did not. Within five minutes of warm up at low volume with the new Stages the Carver dumped DC to the ribbon tweeters and large blue-white arcs shot from the tweeters.  No more tweeters. Talk about a bad day.

The switching power supply Carver used on the TFM series to generate specs turned out to be a disaster with the Stage's low-impedance ribbons.

FWIW. Not intending to dump on Carver, just sharing this in an effort to be helpful.

Dave

4hannons's avatar
4hannons
187 posts
 

Mark, the Parasound A-23 doesn't mate well with the 1.7, it sounded flat.  I ended up with a McCormack DNA-1 which has depth and power.


raindance
56 posts
 
The McCormack is a good suggestion. I'm surprised to hear about the A23 sounding flat - the cheaper HCA-1000A was a great amp for Maggies. I have the HCA1500A now and it does lean towards warm and a bit soft on top, but it controls bass very well. 

I do not like NAD with Maggies. They have this weird power limiting feature where their output doesn't increase into 4 ohms plus they just aren't in the right league.

I've also tried Wired4Sound. Didn't do it for me. Class D audio - not too bad, better than W4S.

Jolida JD1000BRC - not enough power and lacked midbass energy plus rolled off on top.

Adcom GFA5400 - Very extended top end. A bit brittle sounding and lacks some bass control.

Adcom GFA5500 - Dull, dull, dull - not even similar to the 5400.

Sonographe SA250 - Lacks dynamics and sparkle.

Odyssey Stratos - actually this is quite a good option, see if Klaus can do dual mono power supplies in it.

What do I want to try - Pass Labs. Just a tad pricey though.

markainsworth's avatar
markainsworth OP
93 posts
 
I have made a potentially expensive error. I found a DNA-1 on e-bay and made a bid. I later discovered that the amp is configured as a bridged monaural. (Thought it has L & R outputs, I noticed later that it only had inputs for one channel). Can this be ’Unbridged’ ? If so how expensive would that be?

(Feeling pretty stupid here, boss :D Maybe I won’t win the bid. It’s OK. Have a good chuckle at my expense)

I have sent an inquiry to McCormick (the brand is defunct after being acquired by Conrad-Johnson, but they still do mods/repairs)


markainsworth's avatar
markainsworth OP
93 posts
 
Thanks, Raindance and 4hannas, for sharing your experiences.  Most helpful.  If the DNA-1 does not work out, I may try the Stratos.  There seems to be a paucity of used units, so I may bump the budget and buy new.  I did find a pair of platinum mono amps for 1,700.  If they are still available in a couple of weeks I may pull the trigger. 

There is also a Luxman M-117 out there for 600.  What do you think of that option?




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