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Is a Bryston 3B SST2 enough for Magnepan 3.7i or 20.7?

Hello,

I currently have a Bryston 3B SST2 with BP26 Preamp.  My current speakers are Magnepan .7s with a small KEF sub.  I love the combination but am getting the upgrade bug.  

I'm just not sure the 3B SST2 has enough power to drive the 3.7i's or even the 20.7s well.  I do not listen at very high volume levels, as a good deal of my listening is late at night after everyone else is asleep.  That is another concern is that will the amp drive them well at very low volume?  Not sure I would need the sub with the 3.7s or 20.7s.

Appreciate any thoughts from Bryston and Maggie owners.

Thanks,

GK



grekon39
maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 
The lower the volume you listen at the bigger the amp I would get . Seems counterintuitive , but your going to get bass at lower volumes with a bigger amp . You may not put an importance on bass though . 
mzkmxcv
777 posts
 
@maplegrovemusic  
 
That is wholefully false. 99% of solid state amps amplify linearly, doesn’t matter the volume. A 50W amp and a 500W are gonna have the same amount of bass if only using 10W (if everything else is similar).
maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 
no , no , no  - With speakers like maggies  you are going to want to bring to the table a much larger amp for low level listening . Speak from experience here . Owned mag , 1.6 , 1.7 , and 20.1 . Owned a 4bsst2 and a 14bsst2 at the same time I owned the 1.6 . The 14 series at lower volumes did exactly as I stated . What more can I say .
maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 
what efficiency speaker does this law of physics apply to you speak of ? Your saying a ten watt amp is all that is needed for a Magnepan 3.7i ? Okay Then !
mzkmxcv
777 posts
 
@maplegrovemusic  
 
Your saying a ten watt amp is all that is needed for a Magnepan 3.7i 
 
I never said that, I was addressing your claim: 
 
your going to get bass at lower volumes with a bigger amp 

 Which is untrue, as I explained above. 
 
As for the 3.7i, it states: 
 
Sensitivity: 86dB/500Hz /2.83v
Impedance: 4 Ohm

Let’s just take that as 85dB across the whole spectrum.  
 
Let’s do some math with some assumptions: 
 
1) 85dB @2.83V anechoic
2) Room gain: about +2dB
3) 4 meter listening distance:  about -8dB 
 
If wanting to achieve 90dB peaks in this scenario (low level listening), one would need ~25W into 4ohm.
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