Integrated amp recommendation for Maggie .7's


As the title states I'm looking for an amp recommendation for my Magnepan .7's.

I'm currently using a Belles Aria Signature pre with a pair of Signature monos.

@jjss49 recently described the Belles sound thusly:

"i have owned the belles aria (twice), along with numerous hegels, ayres, some upper older musical fidelities

david belles’ aria is a nice integrated, powerful, very stoutly built, nice phono stage in it too (the remote control is downright cheap though)

sonically, i found the belles to have a little more of a brash personality - more treble energy, some sizzle, a little grain, compared to the more refined hegel and ayre sound... so it depends if you want that or your speakers benefit from a little more sizzle up top...

the ayre, hegel and top flight retro musical fidelity amps (a308, muvista etc) provide a degree of treble sophistication of even higher tier solid state amplification (ample detail and soundstaging free of attendant electronic harshness)"

This seems to jive with my own feelings as well. I've owned probably a dozen different pairs of speakers and the Belles gear has always been the common denominator. 

I'd love to keep my budget to $5k new or used. I don't think I can get an Ayre that will mate well with the Maggies at my budget. It's possible that I can get an Aesthetix Mimas used around the $5k mark. 

Hegel is a brand I have absolutely no experience with. 

Much appreciated!

128x128audionoobie

I had 1.7i in a 12 x 15 room powered by a Parasound Hint and the sound was magic. 

Have you tried using the resistors to tame the top end or moving up a bit in resistor value.

@skucie 

 

+1 

 

The ARC I-50 is a simply stunning amp. I was listening to one recently, while other (more expensive amps I was listening were good)… my eyes closed and I just fell into the music with the I-50. Really musical and beautiful amp.

@ghdprentice I have to agree. 

I have an i/50 at home on loan at the moment, playing it for my wife the other night she looked at me and said "does this mean we can get rid of the big system?"

May have gotten myself into some trouble with that.