amp advice for magnapans?

byron · 10-03-2006, 11:23 AM

I have a pair of older maggies - any advice on a reasonably-priced amp to use? it will probably be used from time to time to drive 2 pairs of paradigm bookshelf speakers (linked in parallel). thanks!

John Brill · 10-03-2006, 12:44 PM

Define reasonabe for price?

The only two times I've experienced Maggies in action, they were both powered by NADs. Can't remember model numbers of the NADs though :-(

How big are your Maggies?

byron · 10-03-2006, 12:46 PM

btw, it occurs to me to maybe spec this amp as the basis for a new HT system for the basement - so, full receiver (multi-channel) advice is welcome. My main objective is to match something well with the maggies (don't know if their design works better with one type of amp vs. another - you know, Class A, etc.?)

- Byron

byron · 10-03-2006, 12:52 PM

these are ~6 ft tall, 1/5 ft wide. at least 4 yrs old.

reasonable price depends on if I just get a 2way amp = ~$300-$500, or a full integrated HT 5.1 or 7.1 receiver (much more $$$!)

John Brill · 10-03-2006, 01:03 PM

Byron,

You might want to read the following FAQ at Magnepan: http://www.magnepan.com/faq.php#power

Basically, they recommend a receiver that specifies power in 4 ohms as I suspect you have MG3.5's or MG3.6's. Yamaha use to have a switch for 4-8 ohms. Don't think they still do that...

**HTF Ads**

byron · 10-03-2006, 01:06 PM

yes, I read that some time ago - basically, you have to be careful about published amp ratings to make sure you really have desired perfomance at 4ohms. thanks!

John Brill · 10-03-2006, 01:12 PM

No worries, i'd look at the NAD T743 or T753 ($700-$1000) as Receiver options (at 45lbs, make sure you put it in the right place the first time around!).

However, I'm sure the Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, H/K mid-range lines (similar price as NAD) would also handle the Maggies adequately.

Aaron E. Smith · 10-07-2006, 11:15 PM

Well, you might have a hard time finding them nowadays, but I'd say give a nice Citation amp a try. I have Maggies all around (sans sub of course) and use Citation 7.1 and 5.1 amps. I simply love those amps and it sounds, to me, really great!

Justintiime · 10-08-2006, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byron

these are ~6 ft tall, 1/5 ft wide. at least 4 yrs old.

reasonable price depends on if I just get a 2way amp = ~$300-$500, or a full integrated HT 5.1 or 7.1 receiver (much more $$$!)

I got my NAD T751 5.1 receiver for ~$200 on ebay and it works great!

Jeff O. · 10-09-2006, 08:44 AM

I have Maggies all around and use an Outlaw Audio 7500. I went from a using a Yamaha receiver to power them to the Outlaw and it really opened the Maggies up (the Yamaha is now the pre). I am very happy with this combo, one of the best upgrades I have done in awhile.
Jeff