Magic with Magneplanars?

If the last pair of Magnepans you have actually owned and spent time with were the MGIII A's...I suspect it would be worth your time to spend some time listening to the 1.6, 3.6 and the 20,,,or wait on the 20.1 before embarking on amp decisions. I believe that sonically you will be pleased by the entire lineup... and the decision regarding 3.6 .vs 20 or 20.1 would be best determined by the size of your room,listening habits and the type of music you like best. For the best advise on all things Magnepan suggest you visit the Magnepan Users Group (MUG) at http://www.sonic.net/~howl/MUG/

I've owned 3.6s and currently have 20s,have had 20.1s on order for a year.The 20s are more powerful in the mid and low bass region.Overall a more believable sonic picture but you do need a good room for them. I use Audio Research 600 mkII monoblocks and Ref 2 pre amp with great results.I'll have my 20s for sale when the 20.1s come.

High resolution powerful tube amps are great match with these brand of speakers. Matching solid state with tube amps is dangerous. You may easily break cohirence. Next, you said you are thinking of upgrading to SACD. Your speakers are hi-rez, they are limited by the source signal. SACD will bring you to another world; its better then vinil and DVD-Audio and second to the live event only. You can have breathtaking system.... Having SACD/Maggies you must have hi-rez amplification with harmonically full midrange

I run my MG 20Rs with a an ARC LS22/ Pass X350 combination with stunning results. Using MAgnepan's XO20 crossover. The Pass amp seems to have something that Krell and Levinson - the others I've tried - do not. In short, with the Pass, the speaker just seems to 'relax' and disappear. The sound isn't theatrical, it's just THERE. Going to an ARC REF2 / Pass X600 combo when I can afford it. The MG 20s, when driven with an amp that combines clarity and definition with the huge current/voltage swing of the Pass, just leave you breathless. Cable/interconnect choice is critical - get this wrong and you'll be hating life. After a lot of experimentation, I now use all silver-based speaker cables (including a set of 8 individual Audio Magic Spellcaster II .5 meter jumpers to go from the xover to the speaker itself) and Cardas Golden Cross interconnects. Tube amps are great, but you have to spend so much to get what works well that it becomes debatable whether it's worth the heat and maintenance issues in the long run. Check out Pass Labs ...

If you are interested, I am in the process of trying to decide if I want to sell my Tympany IV4A's (I'm the original owner), and the amplifiers, ARC tubes on the Mid/Tweeters and a solid state Eagle on the bass panels. I haven't been able to decide yet whether I can bear to part with them, but if you are interested, email me and we can discuss it. Thanks, Martin