The Gear to drive Mini Maggies

If you were to go overboard for the amp, you should consider the Bryston 3B-SST/3B-SST2 or 4B-SST/4B-SST2 for the Mini. I think it would be a pretty good match considering the Bryston and Magnapan are supposed to play well with each other. A more realistic amp for those speakers would be something like the Wyred4Sound integrated.

You cannot go wrong (in terms of the product working) buying a used Bryston since Bryston will fix whatever ails the used amp as long as you have the original receipt for amps built around 2007+ (for older amps no receipt is needed).

The Sept 2013 issue of Stereophile has a review of the Audience The One. Another speaker that I was looking at for my home office was the KEF LS50.

I currently have the Thiel SCS4 in the living room and I will most likely just move them into my home office when I move to a new place. I have a feeling the Thiels SCS4 will sound better in the office than the other 3 office speakers I have been investigating, Audience ONE, Magnapan Mini, or KEF LS50. Currently, I have the Audioengince A2's in the office.

BTW - There were 3 28B-SST2's on sale here from 40-55% of MSRP I and so tempted to buy a pair and keep in storage until I needed them. If you are like me and tend to stick with what you like (or works) then something like the 28B-SST2 could last you a lifetime. These future big amps are for a future big speaker in a future big room.

Kjman,

"See this is where my confusion is with Mini Maggies. Extreme opposing positions on the amp. Either its Maggies can not have too much power (aka the more the better) or I hear 100w amp ran Maggies great. You can see why someone new like me just scratches their head.

Quote from the manual:
"The Mini Maggie System is a 4 ohm speaker and should be used with a high-current amplifier that can safely drive
a 4 ohm speaker. As a general rule, the Mini Maggie System will require less power when used as a desktop
system compared to use as a woofer/satellite system.
Connect the output of the amplifier to the amplifier input on the DWM Woofer. (Note- There are no left or right
input/outputs on the DWM Woofer.)
Connect the Mini Maggie to the "high" output of the DWM---observing polarity in both cases."

There's a few things that you can do to deal with some of the confusion I'm seeing in your above post. Sometimes you have to stop and ask yourself if what you are doing makes sense. Take the Bryston 28's, for example. Does it make sense that you will need to buy a pair of 15k+, massive mono blocks (I think that's what they cost) to drive a pair of table top speakers/computer speakers? Now, I understand you don't yet know everything about audio, but none of us here does (Except maybe for Al.). You never stop learning. I think the smartest thing you can do at this point is go out and listen to some audio equipment. If you go to a store that has Magnepan, look at what they are using to drive them. When you are listening, its pretty easy to hear an amp that's straining to drive a speaker. Not only that, listen to different brands, as well. Every time you do that, it will be a learning experience that will make this process easier for you.

I have two ideas for you. First, if you want to stick with mono-blocks and the Mini Maggies, check out the Music Fidelity M1s. They are a class-d mono with 100 watts at 8ohm, that doubles to 200 watts at 4ohms. The reviews I read said they sound best with 4ohm speakers, so they might be a good match for you. They retail for $2,600, however, I just got a pair from Music Direct for $1,000. I don't own maggies, so I can't say how they sound together. I will say I have heard most Maggies with class-D, and they sounded great. This will leave you more money for other gear.

Second idea relates to the room size. If you want Maggies and near/far listening...what about some wall mounted Magnepans. That and the DWM panel might fit the bill.

Just some ideas,
Mot

Just wanted to say I appreciate everyone's advice. I'll continue to research and actually go out and listen to some high end audio speakers. Thanks again. ��

For your consideration:
I chose the Peachtree combo of the Nove Pre (which is a DAC, preamplifier, and headphone amp; also hybrid tube/Class A) and 220 amplifier. I chose them based on reviews (that the Peachtree products were good for digital, which is my setup (iMac, MOG, Amarra), plus they dropped the price - under 2k total, delivered for the pair - in rosewood. The amp can put over 400wpc into 4 ohms, which should be enough. Two reviewers ToneAudio and 'confessions of a part time audiophile' both liked the set running Magnepans (the latter, specifically with the mini's).

Two other considerations - if desktop/nearfield, that might mean space and aesthetic considerations (for big amps, for subs). If you're intending to use the MM for a room setup, that's different.

I can't comment on the sound (yet). My local dealer is waiting for his set to come in. I could order them before auditioning them as Magnepan offers a 30 day in home trial, but I"m waiting until I hear them first.

Good luck in your search!