What do I need to run my maggies?

Subwoofer(s) would be pretty much essential for movies, too, but would blow up your budget.

Double check the specs on your particular model of Maggie's. Last I recall seeing, some models dipped to 2ohms and you may need an amp that explicitly states that it is stable into 2ohm loads. I'm not sure in your case so double check so that you don't have unforeseen issues.

You will likely not find any receiver that handles a load like that. When I was looking into Maggie's several years ago, I was told by my dealer that my Marantz 80wpc receiver could handle it but it wouldn't be great. However everything I read indicated that receivers were not good to use and go separates. Specific models that I know of off hand that may work well are Bryston, Lexicon, and Proceed. If an Emotiva amp will carry the load then that may be your best bet in your budget for both the power amp and the preamp. So I suggest that you start with www.emotiva.com as your first starting point.

Oh, Marty is also right. Try looking at the Anthem receivers. Can't say enough good things about them. They may be "under powered" by specs but from a performance standpoint they are fantastic! I believe that they may support the load of a magnepan speaker setup.

Check out Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier with UMC-1 preprocessor or (soon to be released) UMC-200 or XMC-1 preprocessors. The Emo gear will cost you about $1400 total and will drive your Maggies effortlessly. Lots of Maggie owners at the Emotiva Lounge...

www.emotiva.com
www.emotivalounge.com

-RW-

lots of quality power