amps for Magnepan MG1.6

[mamzh]

I am interested in Magnepan MG1.6. But I know it needs a good amp to drive them. So I ask for recommendation for amps, price range is about $1k. Thanks a lot.

[psonic]

From what I have gathered on Maggies, you need a high current (4ohm happy) and wattage amp to get the best from them, preferably over 80wpc - much like me with Dynaudio speaks. Some people even like massive mono-blocks or huge 200+ wpc amps to drive these speakers. Do you want to go separates or integrated? For under a grand, my Jolida JD-1501RC is possibly the best high power integrated. Retails for $750, you can get it at underwoodhifi.com for $600 or audiogon for less used. It has a tube preamp and a 100wpc mosfet amp section, weighs over 30lbs and the build quaility is very high also. The tubes are replaceable so you can tune the sound some too. There are some very good reviews on the web and this site. I am very pleased with it's musicality, power and it adds a bit of tube sweetness. I would also suggest the AR complete amp but on my setup it starts sounding stressed at mid-volume (only 50wpc). So the Jolida may be your best bet under $1K new. For example it crushes the NAD C370 120wpc hands down (did an in-home demo), like I said you have to look at the pricier stuff to find an equal or better. Then again, if you are happy with used gear, there's a world of options you might explore like Classe, Musical Fidelity, Roksan and the like. But if there is a better (high-power) amp than the Jolida for < $999 new I do not know of it. I bought it without a listen on the notion that I'll just sell it if I don't like it. I won't sell it. :)

Check it out:
http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/jd1501rc.shtml

[JoeE SP9]

Any Magnepan speaker comes to life with lots of current. If you have separates try an Adcom GFA545 at about $200 used on Audiogon. If you must have high volume try the GFA555 or the GFA585 for extremely high volume. Adcom stuff is bulletproof and will drive virtually any speaker out there. It is also a real bargain on the used market. A good reason for going the separates route is that what you buy today will still be worth something tomorrow, unlike a receiver which can't be given away next year. By the way, new Magnepans need a breakin. They don't sound good for the first 40 hours or so.

[mamzh]

psonic and Joe, thank you very much. I also heard that the maggies need space for placement. So how much place do they need and how far to place them to the walls? Thanks again.

[E-Stat]

I also heard that the maggies need space for placement. So how much place do they need and how far to place them to the walls? Thanks again.
With bipolars, the room becomes the enclosure. Consequently, the distance to back wall affects the bass. Ideally, they would be several feet out from the back wall. In my largish room, I place my stats seven feet out into the room. I would say one to two feet minimum for best results.

BTW, the 1.6s happen to be one of the best bargains in speakers today, IMHO. Good luck with them!

rw

[JoeE SP9]

I totally agree whith E-Stat about the 1.6's being the best buy in audio. As for placement I would suggest 3 ft. minimum from the wall. You can actually place them fairly close to the side walls 18"+ or so. The dipolar radiation pattern does not throw a lot of sound to the sides.

[corwin99]

If you want a lot of current for your Maggies, you may want to try out Odyssey's products. Amazing products for the price. The Khartago is $750US and the Stratos is $1150US. They both can be hand for well under $1000 on the used market. If you have a bit more to spend, try the Stratos Extreme or the Dual Monos... or even go all out and get the Extreme Monos!!

http://www.odysseyaudio.com/products.html

[mamzh]

How about using PrimaLuna ProLogue Two to drive maggies? It has 4ohm output besides of 8ohm output. I called upscaleaudio, and they said it's OK to drive MG1.6 with PrimaLuna. From the costomer review for PrimaLuna, there are a couple of people using it with maggies. I am just not sure. I actually like PrimaLuna tube amps.

[Geoffcin]

How about using PrimaLuna ProLogue Two to drive maggies? It has 4ohm output besides of 8ohm output. I called upscaleaudio, and they said it's OK to drive MG1.6 with PrimaLuna. From the costomer review for PrimaLuna, there are a couple of people using it with maggies. I am just not sure. I actually like PrimaLuna tube amps.

It will also affect the responce when mated to them. From the review of the Prologue One that was done by Stereophile mag, it looks like the amp will produce somewhat more than +/- 2.5 db variation over the audible range. The amp put out only about 45 watts into 4 ohms, and it's highly undamped so the bass could be a bit "loose". Depending on the music you like this may or may not be a big problem. The ProLogue two puts out more wattage, but the rest of the attributes will be the same.

A lot of maggie people have had good sucess with a good mid priced solid state amp. I use a PS Audio HCA-2 amp with my maggies, and I can reccomend my amp for your speakers without question. I've posted a review of this amp in the review section.

[psonic]

Also, I forgot to mention that if you're looking for separates (preamp + amp) - I really like B&K in this price range. A quick look on audiogon yielded this package of a PT3 Preamp Tuner and Reference 2200 220WPC amp (over $2000 new for pair); talk him down a bit and you are under $1k :)

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1118894779

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1118896053