Sanders Magtech Amp or Bryston 4B-SST2 4 Mags 3.6

I'm new to Audiogon so excuse me for infringing on any rules, but to me one of the great things about Audiogon is to do research before one makes a decision. I agree, in a perfect world, I would have a stereo dealer in my town who would let me borrow different amplifiers to pair with my speakers. I would have a dealer who would take back the Mag 3.6's if they didn't work. But from my limited experience, that doesn't seem to be the case any more. And if I buy a Bryston and don't like the sound, I would then have to go through the process of selling it. Why not tap this vast community of knowledge first? Thankfully, many people have been generous with their time and experience. I'm also still not familiar with how to access some of the past threads, but I'm learning how to do that more every day. Laurence

Another question: small speaker and stereo companies seem to come and go. Bryston seems to be very well established. I could be wrong but Sanders and Spectronic seem much smaller. Should I worry that in ten years or so, if the amp breaks, I may not be able to find someone to service it or to get the right parts? I've run into this on some other electronic gear. This would have to factor into the decision albeit obviously secondary to the musicality. Note: Spectronic also offers 30 day free trial. So one might get both amps at the same time and A and B them.

Thanks for all your responses. Here's part of a note I sent Riley04:
Yes, I've heard the 1.7's and 3.6's at the closest dealer. Note, Magnepan has a funny relationship with dealers (since I know an upscale stereo store owner who related his experiences in trying to become a dealer). Magnepan has very few dealers in the U.S. Only 8 in all of California. None in Nevada. One in Pennsylvania in some small town. One in the entire state of Colorado. It seems that all the local dealers (and by local, they seem to mean 100 miles or less -- even with an LA population of 8 million or more) -- have to approve of any new dealer. There's clearly no incentive for any dealer to want another one; ergo, so few dealers.

I'm a former professional musician. I love detailed music. I used to have Mag Tympanis in the 70's. Loved them. So did my cat who used to rip them apart with his claws and climb them like a tree and then jump off them. More than once he knocked them over. That was it for the Mags.

I listened to the Mags 1.7 and 3.6 at 6 feet in listening rooms about my room size. I need more detail than what I heard in the 1.7s (that's just me; I know they're great). The 3.6's are much closer to the detail I want. Both were driven by similar Mac amps/preamps. Some well known recording expert I know said I should even put the Mags closer to me -- eg, 3 feet away and use them like headphones and that the sound won't get that much louder with decreased distance on the Mags.

The local dealer emphatically would not let me take the speakers home and then return them (even if I paid for them).

I listen to everything from rock to Yo-Yo Ma to a ton of jazz to renaissance choral music so I need a speaker that can really handle an eclectic mix. I have a great sub (just picked up a JL Audio 112) so it's just the mids and highs that I need. If you know of another detailed, really alive speaker in the less than $8,000 range (this is my last big speaker purchase and that's all I have to spend, and that's stretching the budget big-time), please let me know.

Thanks for all the posts. Any thoughts on the Sanders Magtech vs. the Spectronic Musicians III Mark 2? See the specs at http://www.spectronaudio.com/musicianIII.htm. The Spectronics seems to be quite an amazing amp and is currently on sale via direct buy. There were some terrific reviews at http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/spectron/amplifiers/musician-iii/PRD_371112_1583crx.aspx