McIntosh MC501 or Audio Research DS450M for Magnepan 1.7

Is the Audio Research DS450 a class D amp?  If it is, I would go with the McIntosh.  It has a lot of power and a lot of current.  I have the McIntosh MC152 and at 150wpc, it is much more powerful than the 250wpc Conrad-Johnson amp I used previously.

Thank you for sharing! Yes, the ARC DS450M is a class D amp and it has some mixed reviews but mainly positive.

 Read that it was paired with Magnepan at CES. Think this was the last D amp from ARC, probably due to slow sales.

But does not surprise me that you MC152 feels more powerful than a CJ with 250 class D since McIntosh underrates their true output in their specs.

I would appreciate Any other thoughts!

Have you considered the Sanders Magtech amp? It's very popular with Maggie owners.