2. amps-preamps
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Friend needs advice for $8,000 system

My friend is starting out from scratch with an $8,000 budget. He listens to all sorts, but mainly indie rock. He's keen on the Magnepan .7 speakers and lives in a small apartment, so listening room about 4x3 metres. Don't worry about cables. We just need a power amp, a turntable, a cartridge, a phono stage, NOS tubes, and a DAC.


How do we achieve:


Truthful tonality/timbre


Truthful harmonics


Liquid sound


Transparency


Speed/Dynamics/Pace/Rhythm/Timing


Soundstage Coherence



All for $8,000 new.



Cheers!


uberdine
audition__audio
1,304 posts
 
By choosing Magnepans, your friend is greatly limiting his choice of amplifiers. 
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

How do we achieve:


Truthful tonality/timbre


Truthful harmonics


Liquid sound


Transparency


Speed/Dynamics/Pace/Rhythm/Timing


Soundstage Coherence

Well for starters you don't do it with freebie patch cords and rubber power cords. No amount of NOS tube rolling in your DAC will get you there. You ask a question, don't go around removing posts just because your special snowflake sensitivity is triggered by the truth. That only makes you look weak, in addition to misinformed.
phcollie's avatar
phcollie
342 posts
 
Magnepan .7...... 5k left? Ok Here Ya go.

Odyssey Stratos 1350.00 (made to pair with Maggies & Klaus will bias for .7 )
Schiit Freya Plus Pre 899.00 w Mani 129.00
Chord Qutest DAC 1695.00
Rega Planar One 475.00

Subtotal: 4548.00 Then try some different cartridges.

Those Maggies will sound best behind the tube pre and with an amp that delivers the current...not watts. I would love to hear this in a small room.
Also I run 1.7s Enjoy :)




mesch
3,394 posts
 
I would explore the market for a good integrated amplifier in the $2000-$2500 range, possibly with phonostage, and of the remaining  $2500-$3000 dollars I would allocate more to the vinyl side than to the DAC if vinyl was of equal importance.

What sources are to be used with the DAC?





fred60
119 posts
 
I'd highly recommend a Hegel H190 integrated amp to go with the Maggies.  Fantastic sound, all the power you'll need.  If you need confirmation, go to Audio Excellence in Canada for youtube videos and see what they say re: Hegel amps and Maggies.
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