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Thoughts on Simaudio 400M driving Magico Mini IIs?

Does anyone remember the high praise heaped upon Magico Mini IIs way back in about 2010? Well, I happen to own a pair of these and will probably never get rid of them. What I am considering is an amplifier upgrade and, after considerable research, and preceding a forthcoming live demo, I'm curious to hear what the Magico devotees among you think about pairing the Mini IIs with Simaudio 400M monoblocks. The Minis are 4-ohm speakers, with recommended amplification between 50w - 200w, which I find to be an underestimation by a longshot. Right now I'm driving them with a Musical Fidelity M6PRX dual mono amp (230w @ 8 ohms), which is a decent match for the Minis up to a point. The Minis are notoriously hard to drive, and the Simaudio 400M would barely breathe heavy with 650w @ 4 ohms. The upgrade in amplification plus going to monoblocks I think would bring out even more of what makes the Mini IIs so exceptional. I have a relatively small listening room: 11(W) x 10(L), with 10’ of open space behind the listening position where there’s a king-size bed. Good for sound dispersion but 10’ from the front wall is as far back as the listening position will go. The room is a dormered attic with an A-frame ceiling that peaks at 9’. The room is well treated with some Rockwool DIY panels I made myself. You can see pics here:

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9016

I listen mostly to jazz, Americana, singer-songwriter, electronica, blues, and some hard rock. Another option I was considering is a Hegel H30. I know the Minis are typically paired with Pass, Rowland, VTL, Mark Levinson, to name a few. My local dealer sells Simaudio, Hegel, Audio Research, Spectral, Belo Canto, Musical Fidelity, and Boulder. So these are what I can reasonably demo. I'm looking for something that can easily drive the Minis with headroom to spare. What are your thoughts? 

diamonddupree
ebm
9,311 posts
 
HELLO!!
diamonddupree's avatar
diamonddupree OP
75 posts
 
Thanks EBM! Much appreciated. I've gone back and read many of your comments on the Minis and have gotten a ton of insight from your posts. I'm curious if you've heard Simaudio amps and what is it about them that you think makes them not a good fit for the Minis. I have my eye on the Pass 350.8, although I'm slightly biased toward a monoblock setup. I see a lot of Pass amps for sale on agon but not many Simaudios, which good in one way because I don't feel pressured to pull the trigger, but strange that so many people are selling their Pass amps. Maybe they're upgrading to better Pass amps, or maybe there's something they don't like about the amps. Curious.

As far as the Minis go, I love everything about them. I like the new Magico models but I feel lucky to have a pristine set of Minis. I think the production cost was too high and Alon Wolf had to find a way to bring down the cost without sacrificing SQ. I listened to the M6 at a local shop and the sound was as wide and deep as you would expect for such an expensive system. That being said, the Minis image like nothing else. I've read all of Valin's reviews and I have to laugh at his pivot on the Mini once the Q1 came out. I'm happy as a clam with my speakers and I don't see getting rid of them for a long time, if ever. 
ebm
9,311 posts
 
You have one of the best 2 speakers Magico ever made the other being the Q3s.I think the Mini 2s will always be a classic the Q1s were not better just a big push by Valin as Wolfs fan boy who gets everything for free.If you want to talk Pass call Reno Hi Fi for honest answers.Your system and your room are wonderful.Enjoy and stay well.
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