Power Amp advice
I have Maggie’s 1.7i. With a tube preamp and a high current solid state amplifier. Both are audio research. The combo of the 3 quite astounding. There are plenty of Audio Research deals under $2000 in the used market to complement the Maggie’s. As for your hum if it is coming through your speakers it is likely a leaking filter cap in the power supply. happy listening |
Thanks everyone, for all of the great advice. I look forward to more!! I had not considered DAC, McIntosh or any of the brands mentioned by Lukaske (except Pass). I will definitely look into those. I very much appreciate gratefuleric’s suggestion, even though I am not a fan of D class amps like the Nova. I am familiar with Peachtree’s excellent reputation, but I have a bias toward amps that look and feel substantial. (You know I’m a MAN because I can lift my amp!!) Lukaske: Don’t worry I have never been tempted to use a sub-woofer with my Maggies. When I first got my Maggies they felt a little shallow on the low end. I knew it was the fault of my previous wimpy amplifier, (an old Yamaha AV receiver) because they did not seem shallow in the showroom where they were driven by hefty (and expensive) AR and PS Audio amplifiers. With respect to the 7B’s and Pass 250.5, I am in agreement with kalali and adg101 on the value front. Plus, the Pass Labs amp is much prettier (I’m not too macho to appreciate pretty) audiomaze: I have not played with the tweeter jumper. Maybe I will try that. I am shy to disable the fuse, though. I like my old Parasound, so an A21+ sounds like something I should look into. Speaking of the tweeter jumper: If my HCA2200 doesn't bite the dust, I may experiment with using it and the new amp to bi-amp the Maggies. Schmitty: FYI the hum was not coming through my speakers. It appears to be solved, at least for now, by tightening all the screws I could access without dismantling the innards. I suspect a sympathetic resonance of some stripe. I also suspect it will return. |
Here's a rare and beastly McCormack DNA 2 LAE a bit over your price target but may still be worth a look... https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649428780-lae-mccormack-dna-2-amplifier/ |
FYI the hum was not coming through my speakers. It appears to be solved, at least for now, by tightening all the screws I could access without dismantling the innards. I suspect a sympathetic resonance of some stripe. I also suspect it will return.@markainsworth If its not there a week from now then it would appear that you solved it and its not likely to return. If the amp is doing the job for you will you still replace it? |
