Need Amp Advice from the Collective

@markmuse 

which at ~300 watts > 4 ohms has gobs of power, certainly more that I use, but it is a bit clinical, lacks midrange magic, is a tad bright, and could image better

All these correspond to the speakers unfortunately. no amount of amp changes will fix this.

I have heard the LRS and I will describe them in these words:

• vocals and fundamentals lack body (Samara Joy lacked her rich tonal foundation)
• Subtle boxy coloration
• No sub bass and reduced mid bass, you'd need a subwoofer
• Tiny sweet spot makes for head in a vice presentation
• Setting them up is not trial as it is “not a set-it-and-forget-it” speaker
• Struggles with high dynamic peaks in orchestration playback and many high dynamic range speakers

An amp won't fix them

I had a similar issue with both weight & space being factors. I went with the Simaudio Moon 330A. At 250W Into 4ohms, it easily drives my KEF Ref 3’s. It runs cool, sounds great, is convertible to mono & at 33lbs, much easier to handle at our age. I did add a SR orange fuse to it, which improved dynamics & warmth. Good luck. 

@markmuse 

Year after year at the AXPONA audio show I have enjoyed hearing Maggies with the tube fronted Rogue Audio DragoN mono blocks.  Class D yeah but I continue to look forward to this room, organic sound quality is excellent with current to spare.  Listen if you are able or buy from a dealer with a fair return policy.  

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/axpona-2025.1222046/page-12#post-36594886 

I will offer different advice.  Upgrade your LRS to a bigger model.  Even the 1.7i will be a huge upgrade, more than you will get from an amp upgrade.  I believe the 3.7 is the sweet spot in the Maggie lineup.

@billstevenson  @avanti1960  I used too be a proponent of class D. I have owned a number of newer class D amps (AGD, Jeff Rowland, Orchard Audio, Atmasphere, and a few others), and they do indeed have their charms. But what none of them has been able to deliver is the kind of sonics and imaging (high current?) of class A or high bias A/A-B amps. I am intrigued by the Rogue hybrid amps (I had their RP-7 pre and enjoyed it), and would like to try them. But again, I have never met a D that could deliver the kind of goods that these seem to need. I wish there was a lending library for audiophile hardware. 

@signaforce @easystreamer I assume the Simaudio is an A-B design? I also have a pair of KEF Ref 1's and they seem to have the same high current needs as the Maggies, so good advice. And the Accuphase is worth looking into too. Speakers? Thanks.

@celtic66 Yes, Sugden is intriguing. I wish, but I am afraid ~30 watts is just not enough unless it switches to lots of A-B when it starts to run out of steam. The Pass XA25 is similar. Wish I could get away with something that low wattage. What speakers are you using with the Sugden?

@kofibaffour Afraid we will have to disagree on virtually every point you made. And yes, I do have a subwoofer.