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Tubes for Magnepan’s.

I think next up on my acquisition list is a tube amplifier. I'm not looking for the be all end all, cause I don’t think there is a definitive "Best", so am looking for as good as I can get for $3-4k.


Because tubes drive speakers so much more efficiently than solid state I am only looking for 40-50 watts to drive my modded Maggie’s, 1.7i's. (Or what you have when you add a new crossover and planer tweeters to 1.7i's.) Maybe 2.7x? I haven’t settled on that yet. And I have some Zu Dirty Weekend's upgraded to the max coming in in 2 months to replace my KEF's.

Anyway, I haven’t had a tube device since my Halicrafter short wave radio, and reviews are not the same as advice from people that own something. There is a Rouge Audio dealer in my area, last I looked, (opps, they no longer carry them), so I may have to go to another market to hear something, or get a try before you buy from a manufacturer or dealer.

You folks have taught me a lot, and I think asking users is the right thing to do on this change in direction.

Thanks in advance.
128x128william53b
william53b's avatar
william53b OP
211 posts
 
The first time I heard Maggie’s they were hooked up to Audio Research equipment, 1978. That's when I first fell in love with them.
wester17
70 posts
 

I drive my Maggie 1.7i’s with a Primaluna Prologue Permium (45 watts using EL34 tubes) and they sound marvelous. I just don’t understand all of this talk about tubes not being able to drive Maggies. When I ordered a set of LRS speakers from Magnepan, the salesman there told me he is also driving his 1.7is with the same Primaluna that I have. As he explained, the key isn’t watts as much as it is current. With their huge transformers, the Primalunas deliver plenty of current to drive the Maggies comfortably, and with the luscious tube sound you’re seeking. I have two different solid state amps that can deliver 225 watts into 8 ohms, but I prefer the sound of the tubes. I get listening levels of 85 to 90 decibels at the 11:00 o’clock setting, so I still have plenty of headroom. You might call Magnepan and ask for their advice, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go with a good tube amp. My Harbeth HL5s are harder to drive than the Maggies. I hope this helps.


lowtubes
100 posts
 
Hello, I highly do not recommend tubes on Magnepan’s unless you’re willing to go through a lot to make it sound very good. There are very few times where tubes will sound good on Magnepan’s but in my experience most of the time solid state class A amps sounded best. In regards to the few times tubes worked well on Magnepan’s, it only seemed to work well when the Maggie’s were in large rooms with a lot of space around the speakers and with fairly powerful  tube amps. 
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
Do it properly.

Use a SS for the woofers and a high quality tube for the Mid/Twt. When someone mentioned a Citation II above, I recalled that’s what I first used w Tympani IV. BUT w 350wpc SS woofer amp.

As a fellow recording engineer said at the time "Man, it sounds TOO good! Nobody else is gonna hear it like that."
jhills
613 posts
 
I am driving my 1.7 Maggies with a Rogue Cronus Mag II and have no problem at all. I no longer feel the need for loud and head pounding, so I seldom turn the volume nob beyond 25%. At moderate levels, maybe 65-80 db. the combination of the 100W Rogue with the 1.7 Maggies, is incredible. 
Sometimes I switch out the Rogue with my old GFA 5500, ADCOM (200/350 W} mixed with my old Audible Illusions Modulau II pre-amp and that combination matches with the little Maggies as well, but the sound is not quite as full and open as with the Rogue.
Not sure if the 100W Rogue would be enough for the larger 3.7 Maggies, but with the 1.7/1.7i it works great.......Jim
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