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Tweeter/Mid minimum amp power rating for magnepan 20.1 in active setup?

I have a pair of mint 20.1s in light oak, and I'm currently running them active, using a DBX analogue balanced crossover.

I am currently using a class A Plinius power amp for the tweeter/mid drivers and a pair of 600w monoblocks for the bass drivers.

I'd like to replace the plinius with a pair of valve monoblocks, but I'm unsure what the minimum power rating should be? Ideally, I want to use 845 or 300B tubes, but it is tough finding anything above 40w.

Any thoughts?
psilonaught
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,543 posts
 
It really depends on how loud you want to play. A beefy 60 wpc would work for me but you don't want to cut yourself short with big Maggies. I'm a 100% tube guy but maybe a solid state amp is best for 20.1s. Big beefy tube amps cost a lot of money and make a lot of heat. 
audiokinesis
2,752 posts
 
What does the impedance curve look like for the mid/tweet section of your 20.1's?   Imo the impedance curve plays a significant role in amplifier matching.   

Are you using an active crossover, or the passive crossover in the speakers?   If the latter, I suggest checking with the tube amp manufacturer to make sure the amp is comfortable with the load it will be seeing. 

Duke


psilonaught OP
4 posts
 
unfortunately, I can't seem to find any graphs for impedance but I know they don't drop below 4 ohms. I think I will need to home demo a few amps and see how it goes.

I'm using an external active crossover.


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