Solid state amp recommendations for Maggies?


I am looking for another amp to drive my magnepan LRS, looking for a solid state amp to deliver more detail than my current tube amp, but don't want to give up (much) of the soundstage and depth.

I have a small listening room with a near field set up, so I don't need a ton of power for ear piercing volume. I listen mostly to acoustic rock, acoustic jazz and female vocalists.  I want more the guitar on Keith don't go and hotel canifornia intro from hell freezes over to  to sound... better...

at the risk of sounding stupid, I am driving these $650 speakers with many thousands of dollars of electronics.  The amp is a Primaluna HP (80wpc using 4 EL34s per channel), CJ ET7 preamp, PS Audio Direct stream DAC and a Naim digital source. All with MG audio silver interconnects and speaker wire. Even the interconnects cost more than the LRS.  

I am very happy with my current set up, but would like to grab another amp to a change of pace.

My budget is $5-8K, used or new.  My room is such that mono blocks set up well, but that is not necessary. 

thoughts/recommendations?

 

 

meiatflask

Showing 3 responses by swede58

In another forum Jim Smith wrote:
2 - "Having worked at Magnepan, I still have some friends there. I know for a fact that some folks at Magnepan think that this X series - including the 260.8 & 350.8 - may be the best sounding amps that they have heard with their speakers. Of course, ymmv - but I doubt it."

 

There is really only one that I believe is a perfect match.  "PASS LABS".  Class "A" high current output if you can afford it, partnered with one of their spectacular preamps.
 

Kent English at Pass recommends their X.8 series for Magnepans.

From the several people recommending the Pass Labs amps, is there a strong preference for their class A versus their class AB amps?

Unless you move up to the most powerful

XAs I don't think they have enough juice for

the 86db Magnepans. As I wrote, Pass

recommends the X-series (ab) for Maggies.

For speakers with higher sensitivity I

would choose the XAs.