It is now July of 2016. I just replied to another thresd from another member thinking of building his own DIY amp using the now older B&O 125ASX2 Ice amp module. It reminded me of this thread I started back in May of 2014. So, I just reread this thread and realized I never posted which amp I actually decided on. I thought any future readers may be interested as well.
In early 2015, I bought a pair of D-Sonic M3-600M monoblocks using the Anaview/Abletec ALC-1000 modules which deliver 1,200 watts to each of my 4 ohm, and still sweet sounding, Magnepan 2.7 speakers. Each amp is supported and isolated on custom Mapleshade stands with spiked cone brass footers. A very good review of these amps on 6Moons was my final impetus.to choose them and where the isolating stands were recommended. I paid just under $2K for the amps and about $500 for the stands which about equalled my $2.5k budget.
These amps are excellent with my speakers and I think would be a good match for any Magnepans. I've used some fairly good class A/B amps in the past (McCormack, Bryston and Aragon among others) and the D-Sonics outperform them all. The bass is the best I've ever heard from my speakers both in quantity and quality.
The D-Sonics have a very low noise floor which enables the music to emerge from a seemingly inky blackness, similar to my previous stereo class D amp (ClassD Audio SDS440CS) but unlike my previous class A/B amps.
I always paired my previous amps with a tubed VTL TL2.5 preamp to sweeten the mid-range, treble and add some dimensionality to the soundstage. The midrange, treble and the solid and stable soundstage illusion are so good with the D-Sonics that I no longer needed the VTL/tube assistance. I thought my beloved VTL, with NOS Mullard tubes, would always be a part of my system. But I felt I had to acknowledge what I could clearly hear and I sold the VTL to a friend.
The M3-600M's are also very detailed which I think helps in capturing the ambient sound cues that are critical in portraying a solid and stable soundstage. I believe the extremely low noise levels of these amps is a major factor in their excellent detailed presentation.
Another benefit I clearly notice with these amps is dynamic range. It may be due to the large increase in wattage (440 to 1,200 watts/ch), but my system now has much improved ability to go from soft to loud on both music and ht. This can be occasionally stunning on some content but I still really enjoy it.
Overall, these amps have exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend them, especially for planar speakers. I consider them a true bargain at $1,950/pair.
I still have not heard amps utilizing either the Hypex or Pasal modules so I'll refrain from naming them the best. I'll just state they're the best I've heard on my sytem thus far.
Hope this was helpful,
Tim