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Driving Magnepan 1.7

For those of you who own these, I am curious as to what you are driving them with. The room they would go in is roughly 20x18 wood floor open. Amplification has not been decided yet but will be tube. just moved and dismantled my old system and want something simpler. Integrated amp or mono blocks, preamp and cd player. This is a music only system. I have a feeling the amps I am looking at may not be powerful enough but I do not want to color your answers.

Thanks
mrnybluesman
mrnybluesman OP
3 posts
 
Music listened to will be varied but mostly blues and rock. My previous system had Quicksilver silver mono's and preamps driving a pair of Vandersteens. I loved the sound. The reason I asked about the Maggies is because I knew nothing about them. I have heard they were power hungry. Even though I have been into audio a long time I never had planar or ribbon speakers, but everyone sings the praises of the1.7's.
mrnybluesman OP
3 posts
 
Just read up on the Sanders amp....looks like that will drive anything.
hifiharv
351 posts
 
That Stingray uses the EL84 tube. They can make the larger, more powerful tubes sound sluggish and plodding by comparison. Don't know how they accomplish this. It's "the little tube that could". I used them with MG 111A's years ago, no problem. Note however, I believe the 111A's were actually more efficient than the smaller 1.7's. Tubes and Maggies can be heavenly with the right choice of components. Don't blindly believe others that will tell you you only need high watt solid state. Do you want beautiful, in the room presence, realistic timbre music, or rock-em-sock-em HiFi. I know, I know, we all want both. I'll admit then that lower powered tubes may limit the rock-em sock-em side. Not sure if you can have both without spending alot of dollars or happening upon the perfectly simpatico amplification. Don't forget also, that your source and/or preamp can have alot to do with perceived power regardless of the watts at hand. Cable choices too will come into play.
mrnybluesman OP
3 posts
 
I will go with presence,realistic timbre every time. That is the reason I enjoyed the Quicksilvers. The output tubes in my Quicksilvers were KT88's. Between guitar amps and audio amps I have gone through a lot of tubes. I have never owned a solid state amp....although the integrated Krells look intriguing.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
I would not pair Krells with Maggies. It will give you an ear bleed. The Magtechs are a good suggestion, but both the old Cary 500MBs and the newer 500.1s are also great with Maggies. HIfiharv got to what I was trying to say. Tubes and Maggies can work. Israel Blume said he has customers driving maggies with coincident tube amps. Tubes should not be ruled out, but it may involve a compromise. If its a compromise you are willing to make, there you go.
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