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Luckydoggoldminer1...Dude, turn off the all-caps! You are shouting at us. Totally unnecessary..we get your point.
I'm going to consider that you are new at this and are not just being rude with the all-caps. All-caps is poor internet etiquette. No more, please. |
Atmasphere- thanks for your comments. i have used a tube preamp with a solid state amp and it worked fine together. I will look at this again for the new speakers. I will however be going with a solid state amp. I'll look into the Mogami wires. |
"For that I recommend a Pass Labs" Why do you recommend Pass specifically? X or XA-series? |
THEY NEED LOTS AND LOTS OF POWER. A DECENT AFFORDABLE AMP THAT SOUNDS GOOD ONCE WARMED UP IS THE MONSTER POWER MPA 2250 OR 3250 AMPS. NOT MADE ANYMORE BUT FOUND ON AUDIOGON . THEY ARE RATED AT 250 WATTS BUT ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL INTO LOWER IMP.A GOOD PREAMP FOR THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TUBE PREAMP OF WHICH AUDIO RESEARCH MAKES MANY. |
Maggies sound quite good with tubes and if you can get a tube amp with enough power you will like it a lot. However tube power is expensive and you do need some power so you may have to go with transistors. For that I recommend a Pass Labs.
But the preamp is a different matter and for that go with tubes (your Maggies and your ears will thank you). If your amplifier has a balanced input, get a preamp that is also balanced, as that will reduce the effect of the interconnect cables. In my system I have 30 foot runs of Mogami Neglex, which is relatively inexpensive (about $200 for the pair). |
If you're selling a pair of JC1 and a JC2 for $4K - $5K, you need to get in touch with me! |
If you still haven't made a decision, please contact me on a Parasound JC1/JC2 option. |
I'm hesitant to add this because it's at the high end of your budged, but people have been raving about the Sanders Magtech. I don't think I've ever seen so many glowing reviews. It's the one I would want to try. |
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I will second the Cary 500 MB recommendation; best and most powerful amps that I have found for my 3.6's. Going to keep them for my newly ordered 20.7's too! They are the closest thing to great tube amps that I have found, they double-down to 1,000 watts into the Maggies, never ever run out of power, put out loads of current, and drive my Maggies to the low 90 dbs in my 17.5 x 26 x 9 room without any stress or strain. Very highly recommended.
Watch for a good used pair of the 500's and then get a decent tube preamp; you will be set for a long time to come! |
Do not know what your budget is...but if you are considering the Stratos you might consider the Emotiva XPA 1 mono blocks...
I am not saying they are better...but the work well with Mag 1.7's across the entire sound spectrum---especially on organ music...I do not know if they are comparable to Bryston or the John Curl designs Halos and j 1 mono blocks....But on well recorded music like Blue Note and the Mercury Presence series they are brilliant. They are also very cheap under $2000 Also Macormack gets good reviews. |
Thanks for everyone's response. I am open to using a tube preamp coupled to a solid state amp (I've done that before). I'll look in them.
Jallen- for Pass amps do you think there are some that would provide enough drive and yet be within my price range?
I am also thinking about a Odyysey amp as it seems to be a good value for the money.
I will also check into the Bryston amps--appreciate everyone's comments about the various models. |
The recommendations by Elizabeth are great and add to that the 7Bst and 14Bst from Bryston. Pass labs is also very good. Just be sure to get at least 350-400wpc into 4 ohms. Great speakers. Jallen |
If you'd like to discuss in more detail, contact me directly through my ads for the Revel Salon2s and the Esoteric X0-5. |
I replaced my Cary 500MB's with Cary 500.1MB's. Like many others (search the forums), I find the Cary/Maggie combo to be terrific. I have also found the Cary's low input impedance and high input sensitivity make them ideal for using a passive pre, and have found the Promitheus TVC's a great choice. You don't indicate if you can get by with a line level pre or have a vinyl rig. You should be able to hit the low end of your range with a Promethius Ref 4 and the Cary 500MB's. I used that exact combo in a room about the same size as yours, and was never hurting for volume. I don't have a specific recommendation on a full feature pre, but the BAT/VAC/AR's mentioned above seem reasonable. I'm skeptical as to the prospects of finding an integrated that will bring out the best the 3.7's have to offer. Full disclosure--- I still have my old Cary 500's sitting in my living room. If in the end, you decide to give those a try, let me know and I will list them. Otherwise, they are going to sit until I put out all the other fires I have going. |
I own 3.6s
If I had to use a less expensive preamp I would be using an Audio Research Sp-15. The Sp-15 has a great three tube phono section, the rest is SS.
I got one a few years back for $1,500.
That $ was a little low, but that particular ARC item is not well known.
It is a great preamp for the price.
Hard to find though.
Another gem is the VAC Standard and is also around $1,500. Also rare. (I own both, neither for sale!!! even though my main preamp is a Bryston BP-26)
Both have separate power supplies.
Spend the rest on the amp. A used Bryston 4B-SST or 4B-SST2 could be found. Do not settle for a Bryston 4B-ST. |
I have owned many pairs of Maggies over the years and have found that a good SS amp like a Plinius SA100 MkII and a tube preamp like a BAT Vk3iX have been the best match. |
I highly recommend the Gilmore Audio Raptor 500d monoblocks for your Maggies. They now are selling for $2500 the pair. I use them on my 3.6's and they are great with the Maggies. I have never used a ss preamp so I can't recommend one
Alan |
