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If one were going to run Maggies with a SS amp and wanted a sound a touch on the warm side (which the Maggies are to begin with), what are some good choices?
Say budget is $3K.
Pass is one option. I have no chance to hear Pass though. I think Bryston sounds very good on them but I just think there is probably something better.
The 3.6 has a large impedance peak, from the nominal 4 ohms up to 8, around 1.5 Hz. This means that tube amps, that will not put out less power into that more resistive load, as will a SS amp, may sound bright. Is that the case? I also have no real chance to hear any tube amps with the speakers.
But is 100W of triode power enough to really open them up? Or is more, as I suspect, better (and thus mandatory)?
Follow Ups:
local dealer sells them with Bryston and Audio Research amps all day long. I used Adcom amps with my Maggies for 20 years. 100watts is not enough but I used to blow fuses in my Maggies all the time with 200 watts so go figure.
I have a McIntosh C352, recently bought used for 3K. I have 3.3's and am totally in love with the combo. 350WPC @ 4ohm and they use every bit of it. I do have a large room.
That's what I have, different speakers though. It's known for warmer-than-average-SS presentation, puts out 470W into 4 Ohm, and is a pleasure to look at. Temperature is manageable, too, since it's class AB design. You can look up reviews for current SB-301, which is the same thing internally, but with updated cosmetics (and higher price tag used).
Reasonable seller will probably ask between $2500 and $3K for a mint 5-6 years old SB-300.
using a 100w tube amp.
I would suspect you will not be able to get 3.6s sounding very good (or even very loud) with a 100w tube amp - let alone "opening them up"! :-))
I have heard a predecessor to the 3.6 sounding fabulous with a 200w VTL amp but, just as a comparison, some people use 1Kw digital amps with their smaller cousins, the 1.6s. (And 3.6s are less efficient.)
A big Pass will sound great - several Planar Asylum members have these. Another recommended amp is the Parasound A21, which I have heard with a pair of 3.6s - great sound. :-)) But Bryston, I suspect, will sound a bit "lean".
Regards,
Andy
Factory recommendation is 100 watts, IIRC. Tubes work fine, but the maggies require a slightly larger room to propagate bass. A lot depends on your room size
Stu
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