2. amps-preamps
  3. 149186-5938

My speakers are set. Magnepan Tympani IVs

A year ago I acquired a pair of restored Tympani IVs (not IVa). I have been driving them with an Adcom  GFA - 555 that I have had for decades.  The matching pre-amp died and has been replaced with a Schiit SYS Passive pre.

The primary source was CD but has transitioned to a Bluesound Node 2 running TIDAL. I will be playing the MQAs whenever possible. My musical tastes are eclectic, with a pronounced preference for female vocalists, piano and acoustic guitar. Genres include rock of the 60s, jazz, folk, world, Celtic and classical.

The Tympanis do not suffer from the lower register issues to the same degree as some of the other Magnepans, but are still prone to occasionally overwhelming highs.  New components should tend towards the warm to mitigate this issue.

It is time to upgrade the amp.  The consensus judgement of people whom I respect and whom own these speakers are that they should be bi-amped.  Options include separate amps for highs and lows and an electronic crossover (Horizontal ?) or monoblocks (Vertical ?)   

I am only into the Tympanis for $1000, but have budgeted $2000 for amplification. One thing I have come to learn is that the traditional percentages of investment don’t always apply when Magnepans are involved as they offer such a high sound quality/cost ratio.

Cables and room treatments are on the to-do list. As always, I am here to draw upon the experience of the Audiogon community.  Please share your thoughts.  If you see something for sale here, please call it out as I am having trouble sorting through the plethora of options.
kythyn

Showing 8 responses by georgehifi

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
kythyn OP

Here’s one of Audiogon’s members that just received his new/used Parasound A21 which would be very much in your starting budget if you can't afford the JC1's, and it will drive your Tympami’s full range, and still do justice to the bass.

Be good to have a discussion with him, as his speakers he’s had are similar loading and difficulty to drive, Martin Logans, Aerial 10T’s very hard to drive.
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/a21-is-in-da-house

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
kythyn OP
Georehii - thanks for all your help. I will know in the next couple days if I can stretch to a pair of the JC1s. Will hey work with my passive preamp or should I start looking for another preamp, and should it be tube or S.S.?

Perfect, as the JC1’s only need 1v in to give their full output of 400w!!!!
Definitely no need for any active preamp with gain, and the input impedance is 100k XLR and 50k SE again perfect for a passive.

And don’t discount the A21 they will also drive the Tympani’s full range, but if you can, get the JC1’s because with those you can up the anti on the Class-A with the bias switch on the back, and they will sing in the mids/highs and give bass like nothing else mentioned here, except for the bigger Gryphon’s but they will cost big time.

Cheers George


georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Georgehifi, which class D would you suggest for the bass panels?  The JC1s are about twice my budget for a pair.  Are they enough to drive these speakers or would I still need a tube amp for the midrange/highs?
A pair of the JC1's on high bias Class-A mode would be magic driving these full range, you wouldn't want for anything.

As for bi-amping any known used Class-D on the bass will do as they are all good at doing bass in to 4ohms loads. And the Parasound A21 on the mids/highs, it will do them full rage also, but the JC1's would be better.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9e24e-parasound-halo-a21-solid-state

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
It partially prevents the front and back wave from meeting on each side and cancelling (the dipole effect)
Correct, my friend panels were actually a new interior door blanks, bought from "Doors Plus"

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
My friend got more bass another way by adding a dummy wood panel (called wings) same size to the side of the bass panel, this gets even more out of the bass.

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
A great subwoofer to complement them
If I remember them right they don’t need a sub, that bass panel with the right amp moves a lot of air and goes down low, I think they do close to 30hz flat.

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
What CAN be done at that price is a cheap high-powered amp on the bass panels
Yeah a class-D they’re good for that.

and a better amp on the m/t (that Maggie ribbon tweeter reveals any grain or hardness in an amp).

And high biased Class-A a/b amp maybe a used Parasound Halo A21 or 23
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9e24e-parasound-halo-a21-solid-state

This was Absolute Sounds take on the John Curl designed Halo A21

Its treble wasn’t rolledoff, airless, bloomless, or dead, nor was its upper midrange notably bright and aggressive or caramel-colored.



Cheers George

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
kythyn

The Tympani IV are a great speaker, a while back a cusomer had a pair with CD and my passive pre.
He wanted a balls to the wall amp for them, so he trial’d Allan Wright’s (RIP) massive monoblock tube amps, and they sounded great, then the next day for an A/B I bought around my own built (2 man lift) water-cooled pure Class-A amp. Class-A up to 150w @ 8ohms then 200w to A/B, stable down to 1ohm with massive current 36 x BJT output solid state, he bought it on the spot after hearing it.
So I would suggest a pair of used Parasound Halo JC1’s on the high bias Class-A setting, or for more $$$ one of the Gryphon amps which are also able to have high Class-A settings.

Cheers George
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