best amp for a Maggy 1.7i


I am looking for the most detailed amp for a 1.7i under $1,500.

The amp will be between the 1.7i and a Topping d70s. I use the d70s to control the volume.

The d70s is fed by a Bluesound Node. Or, sometimes, directly by a CD player.

I have a fetish for detail.

I’m thinking NAD 268.

Currently using a B&K EX-442 Sonata and not satisfied.

 

jros

Currently running my 1.7i with a pair of restored Adcom GFA-365 mono blocks.  Finding a restored pair isn't impossible, but $1500 may be tight.

 

I have run them with as little as a 25 wpc Cary SEP and a 50 wpc Jolida JD-302b.

 

My ATI 1502 (150 wpc @ 8 ohms, 225 wpc @ 4 ohms) drove theme very well and can be easily found for under $1000.

I use an Odyssey Cyclops Extreme SE Integrated, which I find excellent; I believe the Khartago Extreme SE is the identical amp version...Cyclops only has one input, but I use my DAC, and through the DAC a CD transport, a CD changer and a streamer...

I currently (pun intended) have 3 amps (2 for sale) that all drive them effortlessly. 1 is a tube amp (100wpc) and the others are higher power SS.

I wholeheartedly agree with the poster who said the need for megawatt amps is overblown. But then, there are SO many fallacies about Maggies.

like anything else, it is useful to understand what we are dealing with factually - and in specific terms -- when it comes to driving speakers, and here, specifically maggies

maggies, big and small, are 4 ohm, purely resistive loads (meaning there are not torture chamber drivers/crossovers with their difficult electro-mechanical resonances that an amp has to deal with - large doses of inductance/capacitance - i.e. phase angles the amp must see and deliver its modulated energy into)

as such, the megnepans are not particularly 'difficult' loads to drive (impedance does not fall well below 4 ohms, amps sees a pretty simple resistor ahead of it) but the amp does need to deliver alot of current (flow/volume of energy into that load) into it to activate and control the substantial mylar panels

there are (and have been) famous torture chamber speakers like big thiels, focals, acoustats etc where impedance drop to 2-3 ohms in the bass region, and with great reactivity - magnepans pose none of these challenges -- but maggies do need strong current delivery (and thus excellent power supply design/strength and control on the part of the amp) into their purely resistive 4 ohm load 

it is helpful to know what one is dealing with, and then get the right tool built for doing that job