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Power Amp for Magnepan MG 20.1's

I recently purchased a used pair of Magnepan MG 20.1's and I am looking to add a power amp to drive them that will cost under $2,000 either new or used.

I use my 20.1's as part of my home theater set up which includes the Magnepan CC2 center channel speaker, Magnepan MG MC1's for the surround speakers and an active powered subwoofer. I watch Blu-Ray and DVD video discs and also listen to music SACD, DTS, DVD-Audio, Dual-Disc and CD's in both 2-channel and 5.1 channel formats.

I'm looking for a power amp that will allow me to bi-amp the 20.1's in addition to powering the center channel as well as the left and right surround channels so I will need an 7-channel power amp.

I am using an Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player which plays all of the disc formats that I named above including the 5.1 material so I need to integrate a 7-channel power amp with my current A/V receiver so that the receiver can continue to decode the high-definition audio being received via the HDMI output from the Oppo BDP-93 player such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Can anyone recommend a high quality 7-channel power amp that will fit my needs that will allow me to continue to play all of the audio and video formats I mentioned and bi-amp the 20.1s all for under $2,000?
southernphoenix
southernphoenix OP
11 posts
 
I've already purchased the D-Sonic and will have it next week.

I feel confident that it will be more than adequate for my purposes.

For the record I don't tend to play my music or movies at the same high levels as most people and in the 15 years that I've been listening and watching movies just using an A V receiver I've never once hearddistortion and that was just at 100 watts per channel.

I appreciate all of the help and advice that everyone has offered.

Some of the power amps that were suggested are simply too expensive for me. I don't have $5k plus to spend on an amp. The D-Sonic amp that I bought is a custom version that originally sold for about $3800 and I was able to get it for about $2700 so that's pretty much all I can afford to spend unless I hit the lottery at this tIme.

Compared to just using an A V receiver I would expect the improvement in sound to be quite substantial in my case.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
Given your (now) disclosed playing habits of no excess loudness, the outlaw monos make even more sense......and take the extra cash and invest in a bank of outlets exclusively for the amps.

I, too, am not an overloud listener. That being said, I have ICE power to my 1.6 panels and rarely tap it heavily. At about 500x2, I don't suppose I use more than 1/10 of that 'continuous' even when playing loudly.

I can't think (offhand) of ANY AV receiver capable of driving the 20.1s Not to say that one doesn't exist.....an old Sunfire?
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
I think we are on the wrong topic here. Let's look at the front end, especially if you play softly: You are NEVER going to get full sound from 20.1's without a ton of current. They don't work that way, and it's got to be clean current.

Since you have about $9000 worth of front end (20.1's are approx $7k in the secondary market, and you said you had $2k to spend on an amp), I would suggest you sell the 20.1's and your amp, buy some 3.6R's($3k) with Mye Stands ($500) and a Bryston 7 Bsst monoblocks ($5K) and you will get a much better, richer fuller sound than you will ever get from the 20.1's with an amp that does not match their capability.
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