Powering my Magnepan 3.0's


I bought a pair of Factory refurbished 3.0's knowing they needed a shit load of power. I bought a Carver 1200 Watt M1.5t Mangnetic Field Amplifier. 600 RMS Watts per channel. Max of 750 Watts a channel not to exceed 1200 watts total output. I also connected a 150 watt Yamaha Subwoofer because I needed more bass. If I turn my Carver Pre-amp above 4.5 in volume (scale 0-10), my amp overheats and turns off, if I run the amp at slightly less then 4.5 volume in for about 1 1/2 hours, it also overheats. My question is: Do I really need more power? I imagine that the answer is yes but I was just checking with someone more knowledgable then myself. Should I get another m1.5T and bi-amp them? Thank you in advance for answering this question.
augeanpoop

Showing 1 response by timwat

I have heard good things about the InnerSound ESL (but don't own & haven't actually heard). I am using a Plinius 8200 integrated which does just fine. Sheer rated watts on a spec sheet probably doesn't tell the whole story of compatibility, as Maggies are a more difficult load to drive than, for instance, a typical dynamic box speaker.

I am told it's not the watts they need, but the current - especially dynamic passages (ie, the cannons in the 1812 overture, a loud cymbal crash, etc.). Something about the impedence dropping dramatically and the amp needing to be able to pony up a lot of current instantly on demand. Higher quality amps with a large power supply will have the reserve capacity to deliver instant power on demand, while others will stagger and fail.

I have no personal experience with the Carver but I haven't heard from any other Maggie owner that they're using one. Other amps Maggie owners have suggested include Bryston, EAD, VTL, as well as the Aragon, Threshold and Pass that Abex cites above.

Best of luck!

Tim