Maggie .7 and class d amp --- suggestions?

jaylevine · « **on:** 22 Dec 2015, 01:05 am »

Thinking of picking up a pair of .7s for my small library (12x10). Still regretting selling off my Bryston 4BSST2 so now need a power amp. Going to use my Bryston BHA-1 as a pre---anyone have experience driving the Maggie's in a small room with a quality class d amp?

SteveFord · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 10:26 am »

I've had good luck with a Crown on MMGs but I think it will be a question of how it mates up with your preamp.

krikor · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 03:29 pm »

classdaudio.com SDS series sound very nice to me with Maggies.

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 04:27 pm »

Go with Bel Canto or Peach Tree. I have a Class D Audio amp that I use to use in a secondary system with MMG's and they sound just ok. My Adcom GFR 700, an AVR sounds better.

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #4 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 04:27 pm »

repeat post

brooklyn · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 04:42 pm »

Don’t know if your interested but I’ve been thinking of selling my Bel Canto REF 500M Mono amps
because they are no longer being used. There in excellent condition and drive my MMG’s with ease.
They can be seen in my gallery..

Brooklyn

jaylevine · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 04:59 pm »

Quote from: brooklyn on 22 Dec 2015, 04:42 pm

Don’t know if your interested but I’ve been thinking of selling my Bel Canto REF 500M Mono amps
because they are no longer being used. There in excellent condition and drive my MMG’s with ease.
They can be seen in my gallery..

Brooklyn

Hi, thanks for the suggestion. Send me a private message with the details and we'll see if it makes sense (I'm going down to a shop tomorrow to listen to the .7....).

Jay

rollo · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 06:18 pm »

There are so many to choose from. Look for a hybrid design or use a tubed preamp with class "D".

charles

md92468 · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 Dec 2015, 06:20 pm »

Budget? Separates vs. Integrated? Lots of good options out there...

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Dec 2015, 01:20 am »

There are quite a few digital amps for sale on Audiogon from Nuforce, Nuprime and Bel Canto. If you can score a pair of Nuforce Model 9se's they would be a great find. They are a smooth sounding and very dynamic amp.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Dec 2015, 09:05 pm »

Lots of nice audiophile approved Class D out there. I am still very satisfied with my Crown XLS 1500 running my 1.6's. It was also very good with the MMG. Well worth a listen if you see a used one locally.

MGbert · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Dec 2015, 06:41 pm »

Quote from: jaylevine on 22 Dec 2015, 04:59 pm

Hi, thanks for the suggestion. Send me a private message with the details and we'll see if it makes sense (I'm going down to a shop tomorrow to listen to the .7....).

Jay

Did you like what you heard at that shop?

I have a pair of Crown XLS1500s bridged as monoblocks driving my MMGs. No complaints with available power (1,550W Maximum average power in watts at 0.5% THD, 1 kHz!!) but I'm itching to try an "audiophile" amp to see if an upgrade is warranted - Josh358 in another forum was not satisfied with the Crown compared to a Parasound Halo A21, for instance. He found attacks, transients and overall smoothness superior with the 8X more expensive Halo(!).

Marc

jaylevine · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Dec 2015, 07:10 pm »

Quote from: MGbert on 29 Dec 2015, 06:41 pm

Did you like what you heard at that shop?

I have a pair of Crown XLS1500s bridged as monoblocks driving my MMGs. No complaints with available power (1,550W Maximum average power in watts at 0.5% THD, 1 kHz!!) but I'm itching to try an "audiophile" amp to see if an upgrade is warranted - Josh358 in another forum was not satisfied with the Crown compared to a Parasound Halo A21, for instance. He found attacks, transients and overall smoothness superior with the 8X more expensive Halo(!).

Marc

wasn't able to make the trip due to heavy rain (plan was to ride my motorcycle).... maybe while I'm in Seattle this week visiting my grandson.

MGbert · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Dec 2015, 07:27 pm »

Quote from: jaylevine on 29 Dec 2015, 07:10 pm

wasn't able to make the trip due to heavy rain (plan was to ride my motorcycle).... maybe while I'm in Seattle this week visiting my grandson.

No smiley here eating popcorn. Too bad. Awaiting feedback when convenient.

Marc

md92468 · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 Dec 2015, 07:32 pm »

One of the better buys out there is the Class D Audio 470C (spring for the upgraded power supply @ $795 all in); one nice feature of the amp is that it has adjustable gain settings, which can certainly come in handy.

I've also heard D-Sonics, which are excellent, but almost twice the price of the Class D. They're definitely better than the Class Ds - it just depends on your budget. With the D-Sonic (stereo versions), though, you're into the high $1K low $2K region (depending on the model you choose) – in which case I'd stretch to the Pascal-based Red Dragon S500. Beautifully built, powerful, and refined, especially in the highs.

FWIW, if you're on a budget and open to non-Class D, a great and often overlooked option that drives the sh*t out of the Maggies is the Anthem 225 integrated. It's a brute...a very underrated partner. You can often find one used for under $1K, and you won't have to worry about a preamp. Doesn't break a sweat running the Maggies.

Good luck!

jaylevine · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Dec 2015, 11:18 pm »

Quote from: md92468 on 29 Dec 2015, 07:32 pm

One of the better buys out there is the Class D Audio 470C (spring for the upgraded power supply @ $795 all in); one nice feature of the amp is that it has adjustable gain settings, which can certainly come in handy.

I've also heard D-Sonics, which are excellent, but almost twice the price of the Class D. They're definitely better than the Class Ds - it just depends on your budget. With the D-Sonic (stereo versions), though, you're into the high $1K low $2K region (depending on the model you choose) – in which case I'd stretch to the Pascal-based Red Dragon S500. Beautifully built, powerful, and refined, especially in the highs.

FWIW, if you're on a budget and open to non-Class D, a great and often overlooked option that drives the sh*t out of the Maggies is the Anthem 225 integrated. It's a brute...a very underrated partner. You can often find one used for under $1K, and you won't have to worry about a preamp. Doesn't break a sweat running the Maggies.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone, once I audition the .7 I will report back. I've had the good fortune of owning a pair of 1.7 and 3.7s in the past 5 years, so my baseline is quite high.

As to amps, have been reading about the new Bryston SST3s --- I know they are not class D or cheap, but as I noted in my original post, I still regret having sold my 4B SST2 earlier this year. if the new Brystons sound as good as they look, I might have to rethink my class D idea (and knock out a wall to accommodate the amp and speakers).

mfsoa · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Dec 2015, 12:22 am »

May I recommend the Digital Amplifier Company's Maraschino? I own a pr and my buddy powers his 1.7s with a pr. Sounds fabulous on the Maggies.

I know Tommy (DAC owner) just had a pair of Maraschinos on sale for $1000 and I can't imagine a better amp for the $$.

They are tiny little buggers that you can hide behind the speakers.

Good luck!

-Mike

Q3Di · « **Reply #17 on:** 8 Jan 2016, 03:51 am »

I have 3.7. I used Electrocompaniet ECI-5 Integrated and ModWright KWI-200 Integrated with great results. I also owned Rogue Pharaoh hybrid Integrated. If you like Class D, I recommend the Pharaoh, very good amp with a great built-in phono.
Best,
Jim

SteveFord · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 11:00 pm »

Peachtree in the For Sale section here at the moment.
That might be worth looking into.

jaylevine · « **Reply #19 on:** 14 Jan 2016, 11:49 pm »

Thanks for the tip--will be looking for a 2 channel amp 're: have a dac and preamp/headphone amp.

Hopefully will be able to audition the .7s this weekend as I'm heading to WashDC for the night....