Best Amps for Magneplanar 1.7i Speakers

@kevin1956

Still, with that volume knob well past the halfway mark I do wonder whether the Maggies need a little more juice.

don’t mistake volume knob position with amplifier power available to drive speakers

could well be you have a low output voltage source (or high input impedance at the amp input), leading you to need to open up the volume control on your rogue unit

just like a corvette may have a less sensitive gas pedal, need to step on it more to go... but it doesn’t mean it is less powerful than a honda civic with a touchy gas pedal

You say the speakers are new… I’ve owned several pair of Magnepan speakers over the years, and the biggest mistake I believe some owners make is judging the sound before the speakers break in. I’ve used dozens of different amplifiers with Maggies. In my experience, with my room, my listening habits, and my music, I’ve found that these speakers can sound great with far less power than many people suggest. Your Rogue should have enough power. However, you can always get a different sound with a different amp. As someone else mentioned, the position of the volume knob means very little, unless you’re still short on volume level when it’s turned up to near the end of its rotation. Your room is not very big, so that combo should play pretty loudly. Also, try getting used to the sound without the sub for awhile. You’ll be able to hear the low frequencies grow more extended as the speakers break in as well. This is just from my experience. Others have their own. Good luck 

@krelldreams Great post! One of the many fallacies about Maggies is their need for crazy power.

Thanks for these ideas everyone. Very helpful. 

What everyone is saying. Let them break in. Spend too much time pondering speaker placement. Work on your room. Your room is close to square, which can be challenging; get them off the front wall as far as you can, 4'+ if possible. I've used single subs in the past but am loving two small RELs that keep up with the Maggies nicely--and I'll try the North Carolina four-corners (swarm) approach at some point. There are lots of threads here and on other forums-- the Planar Circle (Audiocircle) and the Planar Speaker Asylum (Audio Asylum), for example--that toss about amp ideas. Bryston comes up (I've used Bryston and they're excellent), Pass, Magtech (Roger Sanders is simply awesome), Hegel, etc. People use tubes as well; check out the comments on Atma-Sphere (Ralph is also simply awesome). Maggies don't present a complicated load but they do appreciate some power. Also, Lots of people put a tube pre-amp in front; I've got that happening now and enjoy it. Maggies are a bit of a project but when you get them dialed in, they're lovely.