I am a big Maggie fan too. I have a pair of Maggie 20.1s. I just significantly improved the sound of my system BY DISCONNECTING MY PREAMP!! If you just listen to digital sources (DAC, CD player, Tidal, etc) then you don't need the additional amplification of a preamp. A preamp could even hurt the sound your DAC is producing. Save money by not getting a preamp, and get a passive preamp, or a DAC with volume controls. A passive preamp is like a nice quality signal level attenuator. It takes the signal from your DAC and attenuates it for your power amps. Even better, a DAC with volume control will allow you to go directly from your DAC to your power amp(s). I significantly improved the sound of my system by going directly from a Berkeley Alpha DAC (with volume control) into my Manley Neo Classic 250 amps. It sounds amazing and saved me thousands on a preamp. Take your time and do your research. That's half the fun, for me anyways.
Amplification Recommendations For Magnepan .7
I am new at this and I am hoping I can get some good advice. I listened to the Magnepan and fell in love with them. I've been gearing up to buy them over the last three weeks. I started reading about them online and I'm seeing that good, powerful amplification is very important to get them to really perform. At the stereo store I know they were powered by a top flight amp. So now I have to get an amp/preamp and DAC, integrated amp with DAC or with a separate DAC. I listen to Tidal a good deal.
The problem is that my budget is limited to around $1200 so I don't know if that can make the cut to get something that can do the speakers justice. I'm open to buying used. I would be grateful for any recommendations.
The problem is that my budget is limited to around $1200 so I don't know if that can make the cut to get something that can do the speakers justice. I'm open to buying used. I would be grateful for any recommendations.