[Lynxo]

Hi,

Curious what amplifier you are using in your current planar set up.

[johnto]

Pass 250.8 for my 3.7i simply glorious sound.

[Saturn94]

Parasound Classic 5250 w/Magnepan LRS.

[rollo]

   There are several to choose from. Do you have a budget in mind ? Basically any quality SS amp with 200W/ch will do just fine. To be specific provide a price range.  Remember it is not just the amp. It is a system.

charles

[Elizabeth]

Back in 2010 I bought Magenpan 3.6 and some Bryston.. So I own a Bryston 4B-SST² amp. a few years ago I bought 20.7 Magnepan to replace the 3.6
I kept the Bryston 4B-SST²
The amp is all i need. though in a few years I may? or may not buy a 14B3 to replace it.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Pass X250, may eventually upgrade to the X250.5 or 250.8.  Just fabulous sound and dynamics.

[/mp]

   There are several to choose from. Do you have a budget in mind ? Basically any quality SS amp with 200W/ch will do just fine. To be specific provide a price range.  Remember it is not just the amp. It is a system.

charles

Respectfully feel the above has put the cart before the horse. The OP doesn't write what amp will work best with my (i.e. his) planers. If that's the OP's intent he should write so. The amps which works best with one set of speakers in a particular environment (e.g Quad ESL in a small live room) will not necessarily be the amps which work best in an different setting (e.g. Magnapan 3.n in a large, heavily carpeted & upholstered room.) I suggest the OP clarify the direction of his thought so we may better reply. FWIW, I've used a Classe CA200 and/or EAR 509 with ML Quests for c.30 years. Passively biamped when and.

As always YMMV,
/mp

[JakeJ]

Pass Labs X-350.5.  Soon Krell KMA-160. Going from sliding Class A to pure Class A.

Mine are 3.6r with custom XO.  When I get home from work today I'll post a pic.  Quite the capacitor cocktail!

[kmmd]

Biamping my 3.6R’s with a Pass Labs X250.8 and a pair of Bryston 7B SST’s. I got my hands on a Pass Labs XVR-1 crossover which is a significant step up from my modded Marchand XM44.  A pair of REL S/5 SHO’s fills the bottom end.

[mcmusicman]

Bryston 4B3.  If an amp was ever designed for Magnepan, this would be the one.
I could not be more pleased with this purchase.

[Elizabeth]

On a side note, and hoping not to derail the thread, I would almost go for Pass Amp(s) but shudder at what class A would do to my already too hot apartment.
One plus for Bryston is the fact that Bryston went the other way.  halving the idle class A current.  more so due to EU and Canadian energy efficiency restrictions than (perhaps) other considerations..
But the newer 4B3 idles at half the AC wattage of the older 4B-SST² as do all of the Bryston Amp lineup.. All the while sounding better.
So if I bought a 14B3 it would use at idle the same as my half the wattage 4B-SST²

Note I am listening to music all day. so even if I shut my equipment off, it would be off only 9 hours a day, on average...

Then I remember well the post years ago of a new Pass Class A owner, who bought four large class A Pass amps and left them on 24/7.. until he got the first month after electric bill and discovered his bill went up $1000. 

[rollo]

Respectfully feel the above has put the cart before the horse. The OP doesn't write what amp will work best with my (i.e. his) planers. If that's the OP's intent he should write so. The amps which works best with one set of speakers in a particular environment (e.g Quad ESL in a small live room) will not necessarily be the amps which work best in an different setting (e.g. Magnapan 3.n in a large, heavily carpeted & upholstered room.) I suggest the OP clarify the direction of his thought so we may better reply. FWIW, I've used a Classe CA200 and/or EAR 509 with ML Quests for c.30 years. Passively biamped when and.

As always YMMV,
/mp

    Being a Maggie owner for 20 years we have found any quality  SS amp worked well. My "favorite" amp is moot as one is listening to a system not am amp/speaker combo.
    If I were to choose an amp to consider it would be 250W/ch minimum hybrid design .  Synergy over brand every time. My favorite amp for the system was a Plinius at the time.



charles

[Lynxo]

Hi,

To clarify, I was just asking what you have and what you are happy with.
Happy since many of us try different amps till we settle on one.
Definitely YMMV.

Legendary Pass with legendary price, can’t touch those. I bet they are quite amazing.

Thanks for the replies. Seems Pass and Brystons pop up often.

I did get a used Khartago Stereo, will set up in few weeks.

[JakeJ]

Lynxo,

That Kahartago might just be sweet with Maggies.  Please let us know how you like it.

Here is what my XO looks like:

[brooklyn]

I’ve been using a Bel Canto REF500S amp for months now, there’s plenty of power for my .7’s. I paired it with a Prima Luna EVO 100 tube preamp, it sounds wonderful.

[twitch54]

    My favorite amp for the system was a Plinius at the time.

Charlie, I with you there, many fond memories of my SA-102 .....

[mijostyn]

The Parasound JC1 or 1+ are brilliant with planars and ESLs. Any of the Pass 200 watt amps are fine. Then there is Krell, Boulder, Gryphon, Sanders, Atma-Sphere and others. Basically, any high current A or AB amp over 200 watts will do. If you are running subwoofers anything over 120 watts will do.  This is for people who are into loud dynamic music. If you are a quiet music person you can get away with much less power but I would stick with a class A amp or one that runs in class A up to 25 watts. IMHE the more powerful amps also seem to sound better at low volumes.
I can't say enough about the JC 1. It is the amplifier value of the century and there are painfully few amps that sound better regardless of price. The JC 1+ is out and I suspect there will be quite a few JC 1s on the market shortly.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Hi,

To clarify, I was just asking what you have and what you are happy with.
Happy since many of us try different amps till we settle on one.
Definitely YMMV.

Legendary Pass with legendary price, can’t touch those. I bet they are quite amazing.

Thanks for the replies. Seems Pass and Brystons pop up often.

I did get a used Khartago Stereo, will set up in few weeks.

The best way to go with Pass on a budget is go the used route.  Their amps are built like tanks and are built to last.

The Pass sound is not for everyone.  They typically have a more smooth rounded sound and they don't have the fastest bass but  I find it more natural sounding than amps with very high dampening factors.  They do pair well with Maggies though.

[Lynxo]

Lynxo,

That Kahartago might just be sweet with Maggies.  Please let us know how you like it.

Here is what my XO looks like:

Hi Jake,

Nice blend 

Did you experiment with different brands?
I see Solens, Clarity. Have you tried Jantzens?

You bypassed the fuse for the ribbons?

[Lynxo]

In my younger days I always wanted to try Parasound Halo but it was out of reach. Would you say Parasound is detailed dynamic signature?

I’m used to more natural sound on smooth side, tubes. Can’t handle the shrilly detailed highs.

I had the Primaluna Dialogue, that was a nice set. I will look into the Primaluna Evo Pre.