https://www.mofielectronics.com/mastertracker-cartridge
I was curious if the amp was seeing the full potential input signal (and therefore outputting a full 30 watts).
Last night I listened to the Speakers Corner issue of Aretha Franklin's 'Live at Fillmore West.' It was very/too loud when the Mytek was maxed out. However, my listening tastes are varied. I listen to classical chamber and solo works, acoustic jazz (50s-60s and up), rock, new grass, reggae, pre war blues, Grateful Dead, electronica, post punk and more. A rock album with limited dynamic range mastered in a normal to hot range is great on my system. Many classical pieces don't fare as well with this setup.
I have always expected to have at least two setups to cover various genres and listening needs. Planar speakers have a midrange, imaging and other qualities that I don't think I'll find in dynamics. But, I don't think planars will 'rock' like dynamics will.
Without going into my life story and why my listening room is (temporarily) limited (11 x 13, I believe), I do have to settle on one system for now until my situation changes.
My local dealer carries McIntosh, Klipsch and Primaluna. My tastes are toward a more euphonic presentation. I would love to hear what the Maggies sound like with a robust power amp, but I imagine a solid state amp such as the often paired Bryston would leave me cold. Same for Wyred4Sound and Class D. Maybe a tube preamp would mitigate that. If Nelson Pass's other (higher power) amps are anything at all like the SIT-3, I'd like to hear them. But, I'm guessing the SIT-3 is unique, the First Watt stuff underpowered, and do I want to heat up my room with an XA, nevermind the expense?
I know I was the one who started the thread asking about high gain preamps, but I don't like the idea of fixing a problem based on my other mismatched components. It seems like a better idea to find a synergistic combination. Your responses have shown me the light.
I think I'll listen to the sentiment of most of the contributors to this thread and build around the better of the two variables: my amp. I like the idea of having a high efficiency speaker on hand when I add an SET amp. Since it's hard to demo most of what's out there, I really appreciate everyone's recommendations. I can sell or store the Maggies, but ultimately I'll be looking at 3.7s or higher when I have more space. I have tube guitar amps from the 40s (!) through the 70s that sit unused in the attic. I'm a bit of a hoarder. Hoping to fund my system through trading rather than collecting pieces that aren't listened to.