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Building a Magnepan System, Please Help...

Hello everyone,

I am going to be shortly building an audio system, my first high end set up ever. I have decided on Magneplanar 1.7 speakers. The reason is that everything I have read seems to indicate that they are the best deal in audiophile speakers and the sound signature appeals to me. But since I have never built a high end sound sytem before, I need some help in picking components that match up well with the Magnepan speakers.

I am on a budget here. I want to get the best quality I can for the lowest price. I will even get the Magnepan speakers used if I can find them. I would like to be up and running for somewhere in the $3000 range but I can stretch that if need be.

I have all but decided on an Emotiva amp as they seem like a good deal and others have said they match up well and have enough power to drive these speakers.

So lets start out with saying that I bought a used but good condition Magneplanar 1.7 speakers for under $1500.

Then I bought an Emotiva XPA2 for around $700.

What else do I need to have a good startin system?

I have no intention of buying a subwoofer at this time. Maybe I'll add that later.

Do I need a pre amp to pair with the XPA2? I don't know too much about high end audio. What is the precise function of a pre amp and do I need one? Please recommend one for this set up.

As for the source, I would like to get into vinyl but I will hold off on that for the present. But bear in mind that I would like to be able to incorporate a record player into this system without much trouble in the future.

Instead of purchasing a high end CD player or SACD player, I though it would make sense to get a high end DAC for a computer source like a laptop so I can store my audio on my computer.

Can you recommend a good DAC that would be not too expensive but good enough to get the most out of the rest of the components I have selected?

So far I have, Magneplanar 1.7 speakers, Emotiva XPA2, maybe a pre amp and a DAC for running digital audio from a computer source. Not counting the cables to hook everything up, this is basically what I need right?

One final question. Should I also get a power conditioner to protect my components from surges and also to "clean" the power from my home outlets? I don't want to spend this much money and have my components damaged. If I should get one, please recommend one that is inexpensive.

Thanks for the help.
jrodefeld
4hannons's avatar
4hannons
166 posts
 
Find a used McCormack amp, preferrably a DNA-1 modified by Steve. If you don't start with the right amp, it doesn't matter what else you have in your system.

After that, find a pre-amp with little or no color such as a passive pre from Lightspeed. $500 new.

Lastly, reduce jitter. Look up Empirical Audio -- many good recommendations for computer set up and DAC.

Welcome to the insanity that we all know and love. Maggies are great, but make sure you have room to pull them away from the wall a few feet as they don't sound right unless you do. They need space.

--Tom in Sacramento
zd542
5,339 posts
 
After reading your post, I can give you 1 piece of advice. If you start buying a system like this without listening to any of the equipment, you're crazy. Especially the Magnepans. People either love them or hate them. I know this sounds negative, but its true. This is exactly why so many people get frustrated with audio and just walk away after they spend a lot of money.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
5,112 posts
 
You're doomed. Although Maggies aren't expensive, they are very good...they need very good equipment to get them to sound good. You must listen with the stuff you want to connect them to
frogman
4,637 posts
 
I would strongly encourage you to try and hear the Maggie's driven by a decent tube amp. I lived with Maggie's for many years and I am convinced that Maggie's sound best driven by tubes; according to my sound priorities. Maggies', as already mentioned, love power; if you want to play them very loud. If your tastes in music and listening habits mean moderate volumes a decent 100 tube watts (or less depending on the amp) will give you dimensionality of images, soundstaging, tonality, and sense of aliveness that only the very top, and very expensive, ss amps will give you. Good luck.
jrodefeld OP
3 posts
 
I appreciate the responses. I am curious about those that encourage me to listen to all these components before buying them.

There are two things about this. First, I don't know how it is feasible to be able to test this equipment before buying it. If I buy some products new, certainly I could have a window where I could return them if I didn't like them. But for a novide audiophile, how would I even have the experience to be able to tell how "good" something is in relation to other high end products? And I would think in many cases it would take longer than the traditional return period to really "break in" the speakers and get accustomed to the sound.

I really don't know of a good way to listen to the Magnepan speakers without buying them. Could you tell me why some people "hate" them? They sound quite appealing to me and I can't imagine not being happy with them.

I mean, my budget is pretty tight so its not like I have a TON of options regarding the components I can buy.

I think it might be reasonable to get a basic system up and running, become comfortable with it, and then in six months to a year or more, I could easily trade the DAC or Amp for something else if I wanted to tweak the sound signature.

As to the person recommending I go for used 3.6's, I can't do that at this time. I don't have the ability to stretch to $2500 to $3000 for speakers at this time.

I would like some more suggestions on the best DAC to get. I will probably get this first. I have some headphones (Hifiman HE-400) which don't have any good source to listen from, so I would like to be able to use them with a good quality DAC in the meantime.

I would prefer not to spend much more than $500. And of course I want it to be good enough to power the 1.7's to their full potential. I wouldn't want it to be the weak link in the system.

Any more specifics on DAC recommendations?
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