Has anyone tried SET tubes amps with maggie 1.6's

Hello Richard,

I am currently doing much what you have done. I am running my Martin Logan's with a 7 Watt SET (Decware Integrated). I am experiencing much the same results as you. Overall, much more involving, but only so much volume on tap. It is hard to give up that magic. Clearly, not the best setup. I am probably going to try to find a more efficient speaker to match better with the SET and would like to get another tube amp around 20 Watts to run the Martin Logan's. I'll have 2 systems.

On the matter of subs, I have recently introduced a Hsu VTF-3 sub to my system. It integrates extremely well to my stats'. Although there is no knocking REL subs, the Hsu is incredible for the money. I would venture to state that it would hold its' own very well to the much more expensive REL subs at a small fraction of the price.

best wishes on your quest, Paul

Hi Paul,

I have been looking for an alternative to the expensive REL sub and perhaps your Hsu VTF-3 will fit the bill nicely.
Is there anywhere that I can get information about it easily? Otherwise I will try to research it a bit...the chance of hearing it where I live in south western New Mexico is pretty near impossible! Can the "crossover" on the Hsu VTF-3 be "dialed-in" to match the roll off of my maggies (or your Martin Logan's)?
I have consistantly read good things about the Hsu speaker line and I belive, here and there I have read a thing or two about his subs...but it has been quite a while and I cannot remember too much about it. I'll certainly check into it.

I deeply appreciate your recommendation Paul!

I do not know what your budget is for SET amp but I do have some suggestions...although I have never heard them personally...

Jud Barber makes a SET/OTL tube amp called the Stargate that puts out 30 watts and has been very favorably reviewed. It lists for $5,500. Yes...I know...that demands a bit of cash! Call Jud directly if you are interested...his company is called Joule Electra.
David Berning makes and OTL tube amp that uses radio signals to "control" the output signal of the tubes and puts out a wopping 70 watts. If you read audioasylum you will get a great deal of information about it. It sells for $4500. a bit less than the Stargates.

However niether of these amps have a "tube" sound (I read a great deal of reviews about these amps and I am extrapolating from them) in the sense of what most audio enthusiasts would imagine a SET to sound like. But they are worth cheching out if your budget can stand it.

I am seriously looking into the Carver Professional ZR 1600. It is one of the new digital amps, actually a mosfet amp that uses a tri-path chip to control the incoming and outgoing signal to maintain its "purity." I have read a great deal about it and I am in touch with several current owners (from audioasylum) that are very pleased with it and characterize the "sound" as being tube like, in the sense of it creating a rich bloom (one user said "bubble") of sound. It sells for well under a thousand dollers for 350 watts into 8 ohms and 600 into 4 ohms...that should give my maggie 1.6's the juice they need to sing. I have it on order and will certainly report what it sounds like. I should be getting it in 2 weeks or so, so check back here and I'll let you know what I find.

Again thanks for you suggestion of the Hsu VTF-3. Although many maggie 1.6 reviewers caution not using "any" sub with these speakers (they are so fast and "clean" that subs generally cannot keep up with them, for anyone interested see Davids remarks above). And yes... I agree with David that a good sub like his REL's help to build a firm foundation under the music and also help to flesh out the midrange giving the voice (for example) a more human and richer presence.

Best-Richard

Try driving them with a clock radio! Probably about 1 watt. Surprisingly the radio sound will be quite good, but you won't get what you paid for from the Maggies.

Yes Eldartford,

I can see that the idea of using an "underpowered" amp must seem to you like an exercise in futility. Granted.

But what is going on here is an attempt to find the limits of what a modest, but beautifully crafted amp will do, with a supposedly "difficult to drive" speaker like the maggies 1.6.

Think of it as an experiment...we audiophiles need to cultivate a little tolerance. If only to allow the "spirit" of experimentation to thrive...exactly like the designers of the audio products we love do, when they set out to see if they can reinvent an existing topology.

Best-Richard

I'm having a hard time comprehending what I'm reading, since it doesn't seem to match up with my experiences at all.

When I auditioned Maggie 3.6's, the dealer used a CJ Premier 17LS preamp and MV55 or MV60 power amp. At moderate volume, it was dreadfully obvious that the power amp was simply out of gas. The room was not large but did have a fairly high ceiling (12'?), although a lot of it was pretty live. And I didn't play almost anything that would call the maximum from the power amp, just a couple of fairly deep bass notes from a synthesizer. Now these are 3.6's, but they are spec'ed within 1dB of the 1.6s, and the 50+ wpc was clearly and obviously not enough. From what I heard, I don't think this is really an opinion - it was fact. But then, other folks seem to like it.

I'm also floored at the notion of running Martin Logans with SETs. My room is small (14x15) and my ML mains regularly pull at least 50-100W peaks out of my amps (and I'm measuring this, I'm not guessing even though my amps don't have meters). I can't imagine how even a 20W SET could fail to run out of gas. This is especially true since I am using a powerful sub to augment the bass.

Don't get me wrong - I understand the magic of SETs driving these planar speakers - but my experiences with them, especially with those 3.6's, is that anything except chamber music simply pulls too much power.