I agree with the others who have suggested that to do justice to this classic speaker you consider classic tube electronics, which you appear to be receptive to based on your second post. The Paragon was of course designed prior to the advent of solid state amplification, although I believe a "series ii" version was introduced during the 1980s.
There are lots of good choices at various price points, of course. And the condition of the specific example you choose may very well be a more important factor in terms of sonics than the make and model, although a satisfactory restoration is usually possible.
All of the tube pieces that were suggested above by the others (and by you) are excellent. H. H. Scott and Pilot, among others, also made fine pieces in those days, which can be found today for relatively modest prices.
As you are no doubt aware McIntosh and especially Marantz tube equipment unfortunately tends to be very expensive. But having owned several of the classic Marantz pieces during the 1990s (Models 1, 2, 7, 9, and two different 10Bs; stereo pairs in the case of mono units), I can attest that they command high prices for good reason. My sonic favorite among all those models, btw, were the stereo pair of Model 2 monoblock amplifiers I had. I only sold them because in triode mode, which I found to be sonically preferable to ultralinear, the ~20 watts they produced were not quite enough for the speakers I had at the time, when playing recordings having particularly wide dynamic range. In the case of your Paragon I doubt that would be a problem, but the problem would be that a pair in nice condition would likely cost well north of $10K these days.
I’ve never heard a Marantz 8B, which of course is well regarded while also being more easily findable and much less expensive than a pair of 2s (or the still more expensive 9s). However unlike the 2 and the 9 I don’t think the 8B provides a triode/ultralinear switch, and I believe internal wiring changes would be necessary for it to operate in triode mode.
Good luck, however you decide to proceed. Regards,
-- Al
There are lots of good choices at various price points, of course. And the condition of the specific example you choose may very well be a more important factor in terms of sonics than the make and model, although a satisfactory restoration is usually possible.
All of the tube pieces that were suggested above by the others (and by you) are excellent. H. H. Scott and Pilot, among others, also made fine pieces in those days, which can be found today for relatively modest prices.
As you are no doubt aware McIntosh and especially Marantz tube equipment unfortunately tends to be very expensive. But having owned several of the classic Marantz pieces during the 1990s (Models 1, 2, 7, 9, and two different 10Bs; stereo pairs in the case of mono units), I can attest that they command high prices for good reason. My sonic favorite among all those models, btw, were the stereo pair of Model 2 monoblock amplifiers I had. I only sold them because in triode mode, which I found to be sonically preferable to ultralinear, the ~20 watts they produced were not quite enough for the speakers I had at the time, when playing recordings having particularly wide dynamic range. In the case of your Paragon I doubt that would be a problem, but the problem would be that a pair in nice condition would likely cost well north of $10K these days.
I’ve never heard a Marantz 8B, which of course is well regarded while also being more easily findable and much less expensive than a pair of 2s (or the still more expensive 9s). However unlike the 2 and the 9 I don’t think the 8B provides a triode/ultralinear switch, and I believe internal wiring changes would be necessary for it to operate in triode mode.
Good luck, however you decide to proceed. Regards,
-- Al