I have an SP6 preamp and a D75 amp. That combination will work and sound excellent with Magneplanars. IMO it will have more of the tube "goodness" than later Audio Research gear.
Need to learn about Audio Research
Still exploring amps and preamps to go with my Magnepan 3.7i.
I've always heard about Audio Research being a great match, but I'm not familiar with the brand at all.
I'll need to shop the used market since the new gear is way out of my price range.
I am looking for a high power (100wpc +) amp and a preamp that has remote control. I'd like the preamp to be tube, and the amp could be either solid state or tube.
I don't know at what point in the model lineup remote control was added, but it appears most of the older gear did not have a remote.
Any AR experts here?
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My experience pretty much mirrors @whart I well remember hearing the big Maggies with all ARC setups, one of my early references for high end sound, this in 1970's. I only owned a single ARC piece, this SP9MkIII, very disappointing, one of their 'bleached' out offerings.
I too migrated towards horns and SET amps, this gradual move over a number of decades and experience with a variety of amp topologies. I don't doubt you'd find some more recent ARC offerings to match well with the Maggies, my issue is the more powerful the tube amp the greater chance for reliability issues and expensive repairs due to added complexity. High power tube amps put out a lot of heat, heat is the enemy of reliability. |
This is no way to buy audio equipment. If you're looking to fail and be unhappy with your system, this is a good way to do it. You have a pair of Magnepan 3.7's. Look at the recommendations you're getting. All are completely different and everyone knows they're right. Its very easy to go out and buy good components. The problem is you can buy all good components but the system can sound like crap because they don't work well together. The 3.7's are not forgiving speakers to work with. You can't rely on other peoples opinions. If you happen to get it right, it will be completely accidental. The only way to move forward that makes any sense is to go back to when you auditioned your speakers. What kind of electronics were they using, and what makes you want to buy something different? You need to have some type of reference before you start. And if this was an impulse purchase, you may want to cut your losses now and just get a speaker that's more forgiving to work with. |
@sns Great point about heat being the enemy of reliability. Not only that, but also the fact that the more heat an amp gives off, the quicker the room heats up. In certain climates that is very undesirable. Living in S.California, I do not want a heat engine in my listening room. |
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