[trianglezerius]

As anyone here ever try the STA-9 with Magnepan LRS?

Thx

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Long time Maggie owner here (1.6's and MMG's) and have a few friends with 1.7's and 3.7's.  You will need more than 120 wpc to get the best out of the LRS.  Maggies love high current and power. It also depends upon how loud you like your music.  I recommend an amp that can double its power from 8 to 4 ohms and at least 200wpc.  This will give you better dynamics and depth to the music.

That nuprime amp will work but you may send it into protection mode occasionally.

Other's may disagree with me but Maggies really come into their own with a good quality high current, high power amp.  I use a Pass amp that is 500 wpc at 4 ohms.  I have also used a Parasound A21 and an Adcom GFR700 AV receiver at 220 wpc and my 1.6's would  occasionally shut it down at moderately loud volumes with dynamic music.

[seikosha]

As anyone here ever try the STA-9 with Magnepan LRS?

Thx

It’s all going to depend on how loud you listen.  Some people’s “loud” is “let’s turn this up”  to others.

[JamesVN]

Agreed.  It is a matter of desired sound pressure.  The beauty of Maggies is that they do not require high SPL to be enjoyed, although they can be easily be driven to such with Nuprime amps, especially if run in mono mode.  As a long-time Maggie fan, starting with MG 1B’s back in 1974, I have long enjoyed their transparency and presence. 

My relationship with Nuprime began in 2007, driving my then MG 12s with a NuForce IA7.  The pairing was good, but suffered from the lack of a good DAC, as I was using the onboard DAC in my Oppo DV-980H.  Poor source choice, agreed.   A system upgrade in 2016, brought a new pair of MG 0.7 together with Nuprime DAC9 + 2xSTA9 (thanks to Jason’s worthy recommendation), sourced by a new Oppo 105D.  Plenty of headroom, much better sound from the improved electronics and dedicated DAC, actually two choices of DACs. In 2021, a (hopefully final) upgrade to MG 1.7is, paired with Nuprime’s AMG PRA + 2xSTA.  This upgrade has been the most significant to date, although I am still eagerly waiting for the AMG DAC to emerge from hiding! 

A high current requirement has long been associated with driving Maggies, and this is certainly a factor in generating higher SPLs, but an amp must do more than just play loud, it must have sonic capabilities well suited for the intended speakers and for the listener’s preferences.   From my experience, Nuprime amps offer that and more.  I look forward to others sharing their view on Maggies and Nuprime, as this is a topic that deserves more attention.   Happy listening to all!

[Craig B]

I concur with the power and current comments. My .7s sounded nice with my old B&K ST-140, but improved quite a bit with an Emo BasX A-300, which came close to doubling its 150/channel 8-ohm output when driving 4 ohms. But they really came alive when I changed to PS Audio M700 monoblocks - 350/channel 8 ohms, 700/channel 4 ohms.

[rustydoglim]

The AMG STA is designed to supply high current (Rated / Peak Current: 10A / 15A)

[John Casler]

As a NuPRIME Dealer I have several Magnepan users.

Most use the MCX-2 (550wpc), or the following bridged to mono STA-9 (290wpc), STA-9x bridged to mono (330wpc), and the AMG STA bridged to mono (300wpc).

That said, I have one customer, who is perfectly happy with the IDA-8 running his LRS at his listening levels.

[JamesVN]

Given that the aforementioned NuPrime stereo amps (STA-9, STA-9X and AMG STA) all generate >300watts in bridged form and are very capable (in my limited experience anyway) of driving Maggies to very credible sound levels, I would like to better understand the reasoning behind needing an amp that specifically "doubles watts going from 8 ohms to 4 ohms" and having "high current >50amps", as you would find in similarly sized Class A/B amps such as Bryston and Hegel.  NuPrime's amps (as spec'd) do not typically double the wattage (from 8 ohms>4 ohms) nor do they have near as high of output current,  but in practice, they do not suffer from apparent headroom problems when driving Maggies.  I would appreciate hearing from the group on this issue, thanks.

[mcmusicman]

OP,
    I tried the STA-9 pair with the Magnepan 1.7.   While the sound was absolutely beautiful, they would clip at 70-75db.  The current demand is such that what is needed for these units(1.7)  is "capacitance"...around 80,000+ AuF.  The planar panels during dynamic passages will need to draw from stored power as well as produced power.  The LRS is a smaller panel obviously and you may find the STA9 adequate but if you grow within the Magnepan line you will need to go another route.  The units generally described as "doubling" in power from 8 to 4 ohm seems to be a commonality among some class AB designs.  It is a rule of thumb.  My current amplifier for the 1.7s is 300/8 and 550/4 and does not struggle with the load.  The magnepans are a "flat" therefore easy load but the panels are thirsty for capacitance in dynamic play and will suck up the current (AuF) more so than the watts.  This is why some people have wonderful results with tube designs which are lower wattage but very high capacitance.  Hope this helps.

Edit: The analogy that helps me understand is a bladder tank on a well system. While the well can function fine with the pump running on demand (watts), the stored volume allows for steady cfm ( the bladder tank/capacitance) and the residents enjoy consistent flow when more than one faucet is turned on (Dynamic passages).

2nd Edit:  I still have my Nuprime Dac10 and will never part with it.  Amazing sound and lovely product. I do not want to be misunderstood as someone who dislikes the brand, I am a loyal customer. Cheers.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

James, you don't need an amp that doubles its power from 8 to 4 ohms.  But in general, amps that do double have robust power supplies and are usually high current.  They also usually have a lot of headroom.  My Parasound A21 amp was able to drive my 1.6's to ear bleeding levels without clipping. It was 250 wpc at 8ohms and 400 at 4 ohms.  It had 60 peak amps per ch and 88,000 capacitance.  Its power supply was 1.2kVA.  It actually spec's out better than my current Pass X250 amp with much more current among other spec's but my Pass sounds way better.  The Pass is 250 wpc-500 wpc but that is not why it sounds better.  The Pass has 200,000 capacitance and a 2kVA power supply.  It is more dynamic, has a fuller sound with thunderous bass.

I agree with everything that mcmusicman said.

[rustydoglim]

Power = V (voltage) X I (current)
V = I X R (impedance)
Power = I X I X R = V X V / R

In general, the doubling of power when output impedance goes from 8 ohm to 4 ohm is the result of the POWER SUPPLY. Don't confuse this with the amplifier board.  So, please stop saying that Nuprime amp can not double the power.

So why do some Nuprime amp product don't double the power at 4 ohm. At certain price point, we have to limit the power supply due to cost and size constrain. STA-9 for example, is unbeatable at $849 for a near reference class amp at 120W x 2.  And for this price, you expect 240W x 2 ? Lets be realistic here .  We are valued for money, but not that cheap.  Sure we can make the STA-9 with 120W x 2 @ 8 ohm, and 240W x 2 @ 4 ohm, but then we would have to put in a humongous power supply that weight a lot, and double the size of the chassis, now we are talking about almost doubling the price.

I hope the above explanation clears up the issue about power and impedance.

The issue of whether an amp can drive high current speaker, is a combination of the amp and power supply. Again this is mainly an issue of cost.

[JamesVN]

Thanks for your explanation.  I had long wondered why there was no apparent boost in power (as measured in watts), when going from 8 ohms to 4 ohms, as you typically find with Class AB amplifiers.  It makes sense that a high capacity power supply does not fit within the half-size format (STA-9, STA-9X, AMG STA and ST-10) Nuprime amps.  I do not experience the same "headroom" problems faced by others commenting on this issue, but this may be because of SPL limitations due to our close proximity to neighbors in our building.  It also could be because I run each AMG STA in mono, committing the totality of each amp's power supply to a single channel. 

For those out there who desire an amplifier with both high power and current, but favor the small format layout and convenience, could an external power supply be provided, also in half-size format, which supplied higher current to one or even two (if mono driven) amps?  PS Audio used to do this many (20+) years ago for both their preamp and amp products.   I am not sure how this would deal with the capacitance (storage) issue raised in an earlier post?  I am not an EE, but instead a water engineer, so I find those earlier-presented water analogies to power and current quite useful.

[mcmusicman]

Greyhound has a wonderful Amp for Magnepans. My Amp is a dual mono design with twin Toroidal Power supplies and a bank of capacitors.  My ears force me out of the room before any clipping can occur. I wish there was a way around this limitation but as they say, it is what it is and most of us who love the panels simply accept the fact the amps needed to drive them are 1. Heavy, 2. Large & 3. Expensive.  If you are the type of Audiophile who falls in love with the air, cohesion and sound produced by Magnepan, you will soon be looking for more and will find your way to the 3.7i which in my very humble opinion is the sweet spot in their lineup. I would be there if my listening room was a little larger    If you do not fall love with the panels, then the investment is obviously not required. Best plan would be to arrange an audition with someone who has Magnepans properly set up/driven  and determine if you like the sound. It is much different than directional box speakers.

[rustydoglim]

Thanks for your explanation.  I had long wondered why there was no apparent boost in power (as measured in watts), when going from 8 ohms to 4 ohms, as you typically find with Class AB amplifiers.  It makes sense that a high capacity power supply does not fit within the half-size format (STA-9, STA-9X, AMG STA and ST-10) Nuprime amps.  I do not experience the same "headroom" problems faced by others commenting on this issue, but this may be because of SPL limitations due to our close proximity to neighbors in our building.  It also could be because I run each AMG STA in mono, committing the totality of each amp's power supply to a single channel. 

For those out there who desire an amplifier with both high power and current, but favor the small format layout and convenience, could an external power supply be provided, also in half-size format, which supplied higher current to one or even two (if mono driven) amps?  PS Audio used to do this many (20+) years ago for both their preamp and amp products.   I am not sure how this would deal with the capacitance (storage) issue raised in an earlier post?  I am not an EE, but instead a water engineer, so I find those earlier-presented water analogies to power and current quite useful.

AMG STA has more than enough power for Magnepan. It was designed with high current output.
Capacitors bank provide peak power, which we usually don't spec. All our amplifiers have very large capacitors bank.
Hard to drive speakers need continuous high current, which can not be satisfied by instantaneous power from the capacitors.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Greyhound has a wonderful Amp for Magnepans. My Amp is a dual mono design with twin Toroidal Power supplies and a bank of capacitors.  My ears force me out of the room before any clipping can occur. I wish there was a way around this limitation but as they say, it is what it is and most of us who love the panels simply accept the fact the amps needed to drive them are 1. Heavy, 2. Large & 3. Expensive.  If you are the type of Audiophile who falls in love with the air, cohesion and sound produced by Magnepan, you will soon be looking for more and will find your way to the 3.7i which in my very humble opinion is the sweet spot in their lineup. I would be there if my listening room was a little larger    If you do not fall love with the panels, then the investment is obviously not required. Best plan would be to arrange an audition with someone who has Magnepans properly set up/driven  and determine if you like the sound. It is much different than directional box speakers.

Agree.  I would have the 3.7i's in a heartbeat but they are too large for my 17x17 room.  In fact my wife is tired of having door panel speakers in our family room so I am probably going to move on from my 1.6's and go with either the Fyne Audio 502sp's or the new Monitor Audio 5G 300 gold speakers.  I bought and then sold a pair of PSB T3's which were not a good match for my system.  They needed a very aggressive amp, preamp and DAC.  Eventually, I will move on from my X250 amp and BAT preamp and buy a Luxman Integrated.  I am going to greatly miss my Maggies.  I still have a pair of original MMG's that I can use once in a while.

[JamesVN]

I agree with Jason that the AMG STA, especially in mono configuration, is easily sufficient for Maggies.  As I live in the tropics (Vietnam), a large, expensive, high current class A/B amp emitting loads of heat is not compatible with our environment here, nor do I find it to be necessary. The MG 1.7is perform admirably with the dual STA (mono) setup, with amps that run cool.  I have experienced no headroom issues or clipping.

When this "Nuprime and Magnepan" topic was created, I had looked forward to reading posts from those Magnepan users who actually utilized Nuprime equipment to drive their Maggies.  To my disappointment, the responses seem to trend to those who only find fault with this combo,  instead relying on 100 lb behemoth amps to satisfy their sonic needs.  I encourage those out there to comment on their actual experiences with Nuprime and Magnepan. 

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I agree with Jason that the AMG STA, especially in mono configuration, is easily sufficient for Maggies.  As I live in the tropics (Vietnam), a large, expensive, high current class A/B amp emitting loads of heat is not compatible with our environment here, nor do I find it to be necessary. The MG 1.7is perform admirably with the dual STA (mono) setup, with amps that run cool.  I have experienced no headroom issues or clipping.

When this "Nuprime and Magnepan" topic was created, I had looked forward to reading posts from those Magnepan users who actually utilized Nuprime equipment to drive their Maggies.  To my disappointment, the responses seem to trend to those who only find fault with this combo,  instead relying on 100 lb behemoth amps to satisfy their sonic needs.  I encourage those out there to comment on their actual experiences with Nuprime and Magnepan.

I don't think that we are finding problems with using a Nuprime amp with Maggies.  I think that if you like to play at  very loud levels and want to get the very best sound from Maggies you will appreciate a high current, high power, high capacitance quality amp.  I have no doubt that the Nuprime amps mentioned sound very good with Maggies.  And even better in mono configuration.

[rustydoglim]

AMG STA or ST-10 driving Magnepan MG 3.7
This came from a dealer showroom in Vietnam.

[nandan]

I agree with Jason that the AMG STA, especially in mono configuration, is easily sufficient for Maggies.  As I live in the tropics (Vietnam), a large, expensive, high current class A/B amp emitting loads of heat is not compatible with our environment here, nor do I find it to be necessary. The MG 1.7is perform admirably with the dual STA (mono) setup, with amps that run cool.  I have experienced no headroom issues or clipping.

When this "Nuprime and Magnepan" topic was created, I had looked forward to reading posts from those Magnepan users who actually utilized Nuprime equipment to drive their Maggies.  To my disappointment, the responses seem to trend to those who only find fault with this combo,  instead relying on 100 lb behemoth amps to satisfy their sonic needs.  I encourage those out there to comment on their actual experiences with Nuprime and Magnepan.

I am not sure which camp you will find my post falls into, but I have relatively large Maggies and am driving them with a pair of mono amps. I find the volume enough for Dulce Pontes, but just a tad shy of ideal for Guns n' Roses. In both cases, I need to run the DAC-10H volume control at 99 and the display says HL99 (in fact I am not sure what LH99 or HH99 do, despite having read the manual!) so I feel the Magnepan 'compression effect' is somewhat real at least for this older generation of Maggies. In addition to these 3-panel Magnepan Tympani 1A, I also have a pair of SMGa & SMGc and someday I may do a blind listening test with friends to definitively answer the 'is it enough' question.

I certainly agree that I don't need (or want) the bulky heat-generating amps (even in the colder Canadian months!) to have a very pleasant listening experience with my large Maggies, and I like Nuprime enough to own five pieces of their equipment. Sorry for this late reply, but I actually came to this forum to diagnose a fault in my Nuprimes, and happened to see your post and had a photograph ready as well, so am chiming in as you asked!

[John Casler]

Nandan,

Nice looking system.

I might ask if you are using Single Ended or Balanced  from the DAC-10 to the AMPS?