Amp recommendations for Maggie 3.6?

I have Manley Reference 350's on my Maggies, and with 383 watts/channel they do just fine. I also have a Pass 350 and it's got more heft and authority, also a great amp but lacks the magic of the Manley's.

So many choices, so little time, so you pay's your money and you takes your chances.

loon

the 3.6 s have ribbon tweeters. such devices can be ruthless in their presentation. i have not heard any solid state amps which i can listen to for more than 15 minutes.

i heard the wolcotts on the 3.6s earlier this year. that amp has characteristics of solid state. it is very unforgiving. if you like the razors edge, buy that amp.

if you prefer a little more forgiveness of bad recordings, look for the cj mv125. this is an amp that i want to own myself.

another possible choice, is an mfa vintage tube amp.

the classic tube sound is an excellent match with the 3.6 .
watch out for the modern tube sound and solid state.

you will get all the resolution you can handle along with the ear fatigue.

Mrtennis-
what you are reporting vis a vie the 3.6R/Wolcott presentation has not been my experience. the Wolcott P220 sounds nothing like a solid state amp. While it is true that the amp can control planars and electrostats like a solid state amp, it's resolving power and nueance rivals the best tubes have to offer. I have lived with the combination everyday for over two years, and have had many sets of ears through my listening room, and many comments have been to the effect that the combination produces some of the best music they have heard from Magnepans. There is a reason that many users of Magnepans, Soundlabs, and Martin-Logan use Wolcott amps. The only other tube amp that I have heard with Magnepans that would cause me to change is the remarkable Atma-Sphere MAII, also 220 watts, an OTL but enough to drive difficult loads with all the finesse and power one could desire. This of course at more than 2X the cost of the Wolcotts.

I'm not a Maggie dealer, but I've owned 3.6's. I sell JC-1s and Wolcotts and Atma-Spheres.

I understand what Mrtennis is saying about solid state amps. To my ears the JC-1 is smooth and grain-free in the top end, which is one of the reasons I like it. So far I have not heard as nice a top end in a beefy solid state amp for less than twice the price of the JC-1 (not saying such doesn't exist - I just haven't found it yet). Now the JC-1 does have a very extended top end, which some like and some don't.

The sonic character of the Wolcott amp is largely determined by the setting of the variable damping factor (variable output impedance) control. If the damping factor is set too high, the soundstage collapes and the tibmre becomes hard and edgy. From Mrtennis's description, I would guess that the damping factor was set too high on those Wolcotts. But the Wolcott is not an especially warm, lush amplifier. In my opinion, such an amplifier is not an ideal match for the Maggies because the Maggies tend to be warm and lush already - I think a better synergy is an amplifier that gives very good dynamic contrast (without screwing something else up), as in my opinion this is where the Maggies could use some help.

A pair Atma-Sphere MA-2's would probably work great as Slipknot says, but I haven't heard the combination so can't speak from experience. They are a bit pricey though. Maybe a used pair??

Just my $.02.

Duke

Not to hijack the thread, but has anyone tried 100 tube watts on the 3.6´s? I´m considering the new ARC REF110 (110W).