monarchy sm-70 pro VS. se-160


was wondering which amplifier is the better choice. i previously owned a pair of 70 pro's driving magnepan mmg's (modified). wonderful. sold them two years ago. went to 1.2 watt SE tube amps with fostex full range in Quarter Wave enclosure. very good........ but i miss my maggies. so...... which amplifier sounds better .... 70 pro ...or... SE-160???
gbr
The SM 70 Pro is fully solid-state and lower powered than the SE-160. The SE-160 monoblock amps would be a better choice for using power hungry speakers like the Magnepans in a medium to large size room. Plus you'd have the advantage of being able to tailor the sound to your taste by tube rolling on the SE-160's, which is a hybrid design and uses one tube in the input stage. The SM-70 Pro is the brighter sounding of the two amps if I remember correctly.

But if you're talking about running high efficiency speakers that only need a watt or two to play at a decent level, then a single SM-70 Pro would make more sense, and it's less expensive...