Big Quicksilvers run them nicely.
good tube amp match for maggie 1.7's?
Has anyone done comparison of the Maggie 1.7's or 1.6's with different tube amps and found one that stands out under $3K?
Current system
source: digital, PC/ HRT Streamer II USB DAC Foobar with Kernel Streaming
analog, Sota Sapphire, Rega 300 arm, Grado Platinum
pre: CJ PV-10A
amp: Hafler DH-200, Musical Concepts signature mod, PA-2D
considering a Rogue 88. Harmonic accuracy and tonal solidity are what I care about. The Hafler is good for sound stage and transients but its basically a watercolor and I want oils for my sonic canvas
Current system
source: digital, PC/ HRT Streamer II USB DAC Foobar with Kernel Streaming
analog, Sota Sapphire, Rega 300 arm, Grado Platinum
pre: CJ PV-10A
amp: Hafler DH-200, Musical Concepts signature mod, PA-2D
considering a Rogue 88. Harmonic accuracy and tonal solidity are what I care about. The Hafler is good for sound stage and transients but its basically a watercolor and I want oils for my sonic canvas
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- 4 posts total
The best tube amp of many that I tried on my 1.6's was a pair of circa 1984 Conrad Johnson Premier 5 Mono's at 200w/ 4ohm. Simply stated...they were oh so musical and seductive..A big palette of rich colors indeed. Depth and scale as well. Not the best transients or attack...but otherwise sonic bliss IMO...They are rare and at their age now..a crap shoot for reliability..although the caps will last near forever...many small signal parts will need attention by now....all that said..I heard Maggie 1.6's about 5 years ago at a dealership in the Northeast paired with VTL MB 450 Signatures..that was absolute bliss as well..even more so in fact than the CJ's. Other amps to consider that drive the Maggies well are the Wolcott P220's...VTL Ref 750 Monos ($$$) and a big SS Krell PFB-600 ($$$) will give you what your looking for. |
Difficult if not impossible task at that price point I think. Maggies demand so much current and power that it will be hard to find a tube amp truly up to the task IMO... I use a set of Cary 500 MB (SS) on my 3.6's and I think that they sound GREAT! You can get these for around $3,200 - $3,500 used. Another great SS amp is the little NAD C275BEE; hard to find used but only about $1,500 new. Or, if you must use tube amps, I would look for a good pair of used big VTL's; something like the VTL 450 MB's... |
Driving Magnaplanars is easy. If there are any doubts about a tube amp being able to do it, a set of ZEROs http://www.zeroimpedance.com to help out will do the trick. |
- 4 posts total