@kythyn Well, ARC has so many products out there today and I have been out of the retail audio business for a long time, so it is not easy for me to suggest current products. If your dealer sells AR, borrow a few and see what you hear. I would guess that Maggies still respond well to the tight bass they had on the D-76A and D-150, but those amps are way out of production (1970's) and have been replaced with better ones, I would guess. As for a pre-amp, I like phono sections since I like records, so borrow one with a phono section if they have one and you play records. ("LS" ARC preamps do NOT have phono sections.)
Failing in that (your dealer does not carry ARC products and no one near you does), I would go after a medium-priced used tube amp with the most power you can afford. While the IV's are more efficient than earlier models, with Maggies, the more the merrier, especially on those power-hungry low notes in both modern and orchestral recordings. Match it with a tube ARC pre-amp from the same basic generation as the amp you get and I would guess it would work out fine. Also, Maggies work well with ARC external crossovers (if you can find one!), so you may eventually bi-amp in the future.
BUT, don't ever keep anything you don't love. We always asked customers to bring their favorite tunes to the shop to play on the system they were evaluating, but also cautioned them that their ROOM was more important to the sound than the equipment. Thus, we always let the customer take the stuff home and try it out there. Of course, we went out to set it up correctly for them, but then they decide what to keep.
Buying used is somewhat treacherous, of course, but a seller who is also a dealer is fairly safe; get it all in writing! Failing that, there is always this site or evil bay. They have a pair of 600 monoblocks right now for $8650, which is a steal if they work properly (AND if you have $8650 lying around, of course!). There is also a 100MK3 for $5900 and so forth. Your budget is the key, of course, and new is better than used, usually(!), so starting your journey at your dealer and going out from there would be my best advice for now. If I still sold all that stuff, I would take care of your requirements; any good dealer will.
Cheers!
Richard
Failing in that (your dealer does not carry ARC products and no one near you does), I would go after a medium-priced used tube amp with the most power you can afford. While the IV's are more efficient than earlier models, with Maggies, the more the merrier, especially on those power-hungry low notes in both modern and orchestral recordings. Match it with a tube ARC pre-amp from the same basic generation as the amp you get and I would guess it would work out fine. Also, Maggies work well with ARC external crossovers (if you can find one!), so you may eventually bi-amp in the future.
BUT, don't ever keep anything you don't love. We always asked customers to bring their favorite tunes to the shop to play on the system they were evaluating, but also cautioned them that their ROOM was more important to the sound than the equipment. Thus, we always let the customer take the stuff home and try it out there. Of course, we went out to set it up correctly for them, but then they decide what to keep.
Buying used is somewhat treacherous, of course, but a seller who is also a dealer is fairly safe; get it all in writing! Failing that, there is always this site or evil bay. They have a pair of 600 monoblocks right now for $8650, which is a steal if they work properly (AND if you have $8650 lying around, of course!). There is also a 100MK3 for $5900 and so forth. Your budget is the key, of course, and new is better than used, usually(!), so starting your journey at your dealer and going out from there would be my best advice for now. If I still sold all that stuff, I would take care of your requirements; any good dealer will.
Cheers!
Richard