Best Preamp/Amp Combo for Maggie 1.6QR's?

With all due respect, my long experience owning Maggie 1.6's was different from Mrtennis' in that I do find the 1.6's rather attenuated in the high frequencies. (Yes, I've had my hearing checked, it's excellent.) Admittedly, everything is relative to price and the competition at hand. I didn't think that there was any defficieny in the highs until I replaced them and had the advantage of hindsight. I went through three solid state amps and had the same dismal experience Mrtennis describes. However, the PS Audio HCA-2 was a completely different animal from all the predecessors. A sweet treble that was nuanced and detailed, great bass, not much to quible about. My point being, generalizations about product design categories are like other stereotypes, there are exceptions to every "rule." The Spectron Musician is another solid state amp I'd not hesitate to try. If you're inclined to go the tube route, I believe Ozzy had very good results with Music Reference's large tube amps. Check them out, they are a great design.

I don't agree that the 1.6s don't need current to shine. I tried a Music Reference RM-200 (great amp) and was extremely disappointed in the result. I switched to a pair of Portal Paladin monoblocks and the speakers really sing. I use a VTL 2.5 tube preamp.

I too do not agree with Mrtennis. Like the old saying, "I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is better!" Same is true for power. I've run my Maggies with about 11 different amplifiers, and there are definitely nice sounds to be had with lower power amps, however, the results with higher power are better IMHO.

One of my nicest-sounding setups used Atma-Sphere M60 monoblocks (with Zero's) as treble/mid drivers, and a modded Citation-II as bass panel drivers. All tube. About 120 watts per channel (more like 200wpc if you use the bi-amp equivalency formula). But then when I went to 600wpc at 4 ohms with the Innersound amp, the whole speaker just opened up and sang! Rich is better!

Also, the Maggie is NOT a particularly high-resolution device at lower volume levels. At higher volume levels, when it "comes alive" is just when the lower power tube amps start to go into soft clipping. Many people like that sound -- part of the appeal of SE amps, I think -- but it's not very accurate. Rich is better!

Finally, I agree completely with Photon46 that characterizing all solid state amps as deficient does not represent useful advice. My preference is tubes (of the 15 amps I currently own, only 3 are solid state). But there are good-sounding solid state amps out there that will work well with Maggies. I really like running tubes on top and solid state on the bottom, partly because I do like the harmonic rightness I hear in the highs, but there may be a solid state amp I haven't heard that will do an even better job. Nice to keep an open mind!

HTH!

if you consider what music is--pitch,timbre and harmonics, you can see why a lower power amp may create greater realism with respect to timbre.

i hosted an audio meeting and many preferred a 2.5 watt ampolifier over a 120 watt amp--both tubes. voices and instruments were more natural sounding with the 2.5 watt amp.

resolution isn't that important. most stereo systems have more detail than live music.

HMMMmmmm.....I am reluctant to enter into this frey....but I have had enough Zin tonight to be stupid. So here are some very off the cuff observations. I like maggie 1.6's with (good)tube preamps (SAS, VAC-expensive, and passive EVS DAC attenuators....combined with solid state (Nuforce amps). But having Mye Stands and good (PAD) speaker cables have really made my system a lot more fun to listen to. I think that the (1.6's) are sufficiently easy to drive and that you can have alot of fun experimenting with different solid state amp/tube/passive combinations . So the issue of amps /speakers is really an issue of patience. By the way at one time in a small room I drove the 1.6's with a scott/passive preamp/ 22 watt amp. The sound was GREAT! BUT! it sucked (cliped) when I went to a BIG living room! I think that you will have alot of fun listening to different speaker/amp configurations. Hey let all of us know what you end up doing!

Isn't this a fun hobby!