2. amps-preamps
  3. 172369-91258

Solid state amp recommendations for Maggies?

I am looking for another amp to drive my magnepan LRS, looking for a solid state amp to deliver more detail than my current tube amp, but don't want to give up (much) of the soundstage and depth.

I have a small listening room with a near field set up, so I don't need a ton of power for ear piercing volume. I listen mostly to acoustic rock, acoustic jazz and female vocalists.  I want more the guitar on Keith don't go and hotel canifornia intro from hell freezes over to  to sound... better...

at the risk of sounding stupid, I am driving these $650 speakers with many thousands of dollars of electronics.  The amp is a Primaluna HP (80wpc using 4 EL34s per channel), CJ ET7 preamp, PS Audio Direct stream DAC and a Naim digital source. All with MG audio silver interconnects and speaker wire. Even the interconnects cost more than the LRS.  

I am very happy with my current set up, but would like to grab another amp to a change of pace.

My budget is $5-8K, used or new.  My room is such that mono blocks set up well, but that is not necessary. 

thoughts/recommendations?

 

 

meiatflask
tweak1
3,668 posts
 

@spacecadet65

 

According to Ric from EVS, the PS Audio M1200s are the exact same Icepower modules as he uses in my highly tweaked EVS 1200 (<$2400), but they use totally stock modules with a tube input said to be made in house. Oh, and they’re $5998 the pair. What are they smoking?

I never heard them, but can’t imagine them being any better than the EVS1200 and the Voyager 350 blew it away, confirmed by another who owned a EVS1200 then got a Voyager

 

The stock Voyager 350 Black Friday special is $2499 and the upgraded version is $2799, including a $150 wire upgrade and Diamond XLR interconnects (MSRP $900)

 

hth

oilheadoug
10 posts
 

I am very happy with my Sanders Magtech driving my 1.7i Maggies.

Sanders offers a free 30 day trial and this amp is within your budget.

ghdprentice
7,048 posts
 

For your reading I would skip company web sites all together and concentrate on The Absolute Sound and Stereophile reviews. There are a couple more... but you need as objective information as possible. 

jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

I would not put any stock in Absolute Sound. Pure pay-o-la for reviews. 
 

Atkinson at Stereophile was very high on the Bel Canto Ref 600m to drive his Maggie's. 

maggiefan8
28 posts
 

Man, I miss my Maggies, and after going through many, many amps once I found the Magtech amps from Sanders, there was no going back.  Everything that I liked before got bigger, wider, fuller, yet somehow sharper.  The last pair I had the Magtech amp on were 20.1's, and it was a stellar match, I would have moved to the mono-block set up if I'd kept those but I don't know how it could have gotten better.  That amp replaced Cary 500 MB's, which were a great match, and had replaced the Bryston 14, which I liked as well.  You can find the Magtech's used sometimes well under your price point, and a new one from Sanders would still be under your top price.  For the LCR, no way you need the mono blocks, in fact, if you find a used Magtech, if you have the room you could move up the Maggie ladder without needing to upgrade the amp.

More to discover