Which Amp for Magnepan MG 3.6/R?

I looked up the impedance curve on the 3.6 and it appears in the link below from a Stereophile review. From this data the lowest Z dip is on the high side of 3 ohms just above 10Khz. It looks to be a relatively benign 4 ohm speaker and not too difficult of a load other than needing plenty of power to overcome its lower sensitivity.

From this I would say the Gamut should drive it well. However, this is only my speculation. As Tok2000 stated, one should try it first.

Hi Tireguy!

How do you like the BAT VK500? Have you heard the VK6200? How would you compare the two amps?

The reviews on the VK500 have been very good on Audioreview.com and in the audio press.

From what I have read, the VK500 has a full-bodied, smooth sound reminiscent of tubed equipment while possessing considerable detail, transparency, clarity, dynamics, and bass control. Some, however, consider to be dark sounding, whatever that means. These attributes should work well with my system. If I had chosen a preamp with a big, bold, and vivid sound, like a VAC preamp or maybe even a Conrad Johnson, I would be more inclined to choose either the Pass X250 or the CAM 350, both of which have a faster, somewhat cooler, and learner presentation.

My current amp, the Proceed AMP 5, has a full-bodied, dynamic, sweet, somewhat dark, and slightly rich sound. I am looking for an amp that has these qualities but with more detail, air, and transparency. Perhaps the VK500 will fit this description well.

Best regards,

Hi Lance328!

I am not familiar with the Innersound amp. Do you like it? Didn't TAS do an article on it?

Artar1- I do enjoy the VK-500 an aweful lot, how ever I found myself wanting more body in my vocal's and a slightly wider sound stage. Don't get me wrong with this amp I have gotten closer then ever before to audio nirvana in my system, just after several months of listening I have found some room for improvement. As far as the 6200 goes compared to the 500 I don't think the 6200 would hack it with only 2 amp 'cards' so you would need 4 amp 'cards' and biamp the maggies which I am told is the way to go(but with the speaker cables I am using it doesn't make much sense seeing as then cost nearly what the speakers do) but a 6200 with 4 amp 'cards' puts you in a higher price range then I wanted to spend on an amp at the time. I have heard great things about the innersound ESL amp, Roger Sanders is a pleasure to deal with as well- he offers you an in home 30 day trial so you have NOTHING to loose give it a shot, many love his amps. For the price VK-500's are going for I don't think you can go wrong, to my ears the 3.6 is slightly forward sounding so a dark/warm sounding amp helps even things out. I am itchy to try the Boulder 1060, Wolcott presence 220 and the new Tenor solid state amp- I would enjoy the later of the group but at 28k retail I would need to get at least 20.1's not to feel like a fool! I see Wolcott's in my system with in the year :)

Hi Tok20000!

I did get a chance to hear the GamuT D200. The system consisted of an Elecrtrocompaniet EMC 1 CD player, a Herron VTSP 1A preamp, and the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III SE loudspeakers with JPS cables and interconnects. The overall sound was excellent, but I felt that the GamuT D200 added what I would describe as a "relentless" quality to the upper midrange, lower treble. The amp was certainly detailed, transparent, and dynamic with an excellent low-end response. The soundstage was wide and deep but not quite as voluminous as some more expensive tubed designs I have heard. There was a lack of harshness, brightness, and grain, but the treble was not quite as airy as a pair of Krell FPB 350 MCs ($17,500), nor did the midrange have the same three-dimensionality and overall atmospheric quality of a VTL MB750 reference ($20,000). But for $5,500, it's a very hot product that will do justice to any system that is tilted more toward the warm side. Perhaps the VR4 Gen III and the D200 are not a good match? As for handling the load presented by the Magnepan 3.6/R, the impendence curve of that loud speaker drops to a low of about 3 ohms, well within the capabilities of the D200.

Best regards,