Depending on your definition of loud, the only way to get more out of a Maggie is to get a bigger Maggie. You might check out their bass panel with the smaller Maggie. I had 1.6 then 20.1 and the bigger ones can play loud. I never considered the 1.6 to get loud. Another suggestion is that your old adcom if it’s not been recapped is probably not as strong as it was bac in the 90s.
New to Magnepan, a volume question
Hello, new to Audiogon and Magnepan both. I just acquired a pair of used MMG's and I'm really enjoying them, especially on certain types of music; acoustic jazz, vocal, and small to mid scale classical. My problem with them is that I run out of volume knob with my current set up. It is: Schitt Saga preamp and Adcom GFA-555 amp. The Saga is basically a passive preamp, it doesn't add any gain to the signal, and though I love the sound, full volume with this pairing gets me to just below an average listening level, no where to go when I want to push the envelope. Will I get to higher SPL's using the passive with more wattage as long as the amp is a high current design? The amps I'm considering are McCormick DNA-500, Bryston 7B ST or SST, and Bel Canto REF600 or REF1000 if I can find them. I'm looking to build a better power amp foundation for the system of the future, as I can see now I may very well be heading toward larger Magnepans or electrostatic speakers in time. I have a other preamps that will add gain, but they don't sound as good as the Schitt, and do push the Adcom to flashing lights when I get closer to where I want to be volume-wise. Looks to me like the Adcom, as much as I have loved it, doesn't cut the mustard with 4 ohm loads. I have heard that Bryston is a natural match for Magnepans, and also the they sound somewhat dull or flat. Good reviews from users for the McCormick, and yes and no about class D amps (the Bel Cantos) with Magnepans. I admit, I'm all at sea... Any advice appreciated.