reference 3a MM decapo ia or magnepan 1.7?

Kenwood L09 mono ss amps, audio purist series late 70's. 300 watts ea@8 ohms - more at 4. MFA magus a-2 tube preamp by bruce moore & scott franklin. sao winn vintage strainguage phono cartridge, also new sumiko blackbird (bbird is a little forward & bright). tube cd jolida 100a. like most music except rap. enjoy classical but mostly play rock, r n b, jazz moderate to mid-loud. my Maggie's always produced excellent bass & i play electric bass guitar. i was disappointed w/the offerings in the 2 series because of lack of bass. the 1.7 i think i could live with. i stay away from subwoofer systems which can sound unnatural + i don't wish to take up any additional space or have more wires.

I found the De capo's to sound their best with amps that emphasize clarity, speed and fine details. SET's, OTL's, and well refined gain clones or class A amps like the Pass Labs First Watts. Your big Kenwoods would serve the Maggies best if you have a medium sized room. If you are in a small room, the De capo's would probably be the safe choice.

Go for the Reference 3A.
It is amazing what that unit can do with top amps.

any thoughts decapo ia v. LSA 1 statements? imaging? filling medium sized living room?

Kingmacaw,

For what it's worth, I've owned the LSA1 Statements (twice!) and I currently run the Ref 3A Dulcets, little brother to the De Capo. There's a lot to like about the LSA's, but in my room with my equipment, even the teeny weenie Dulcets smoke the Statements. More solid bass foundation, great rhythmic sense, imaging to die for, huge soundstage, better build quality (IMHO) and a sense of musicality and coherence that make me smile on a regular basis. Some of this, of course, has to do with your priorities. I believe that a design goal of the Statement was non-fatiguing sound. That they do have in spades: that Aurum Cantus ribbon tweeter is very smooth and the LSA1 Statements have deservedly gotten a lot of great reviews. But the Dulcets (and, I'd venture, the De Capo's) just sound more like music to me.