Planar Speaker Asylum

Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.

Return to Planar Speaker Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!"

108.217.126.76
Posted on November 14, 2021 at 11:15:10
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2281
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
 I happened upon this video made by Pedro Diaz, English horn player for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He decided to try a little 40-watt NAD integrated amp with the LRSs and found it to be--to his surprise--"A gift of the GODS!" Probably not the result you'd expect. But he certainly knows what music sounds like, and he seems quite sincere. Just thought it was of interest. Has anyone else tried something like this?

(The video has a long introduction regarding an analogy between the NAD and automobiles. The portion of interest starts around 7:30. Also, he overdubs his original Spanish in English.)

FWIW.

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 17, 2021 at 19:44:49
triamp
Audiophile

Posts: 780
Location: USA
Joined: August 6, 2008
 NAD class AB amps / receivers use that "power envelope" dual rail power supply commutating topology that they have developed over the years, and it really does work. You end up with an amplifier circuit that can source and sink a decent amount of current when it's asked to. Not continuously, mind you, but you get it "as needed" - which suits music well. You end up with better sound than you thought you'd get given the amp's rated power and cost...

The other thing about NAD amps is that their "house sound" errs a little on the side of "darkness" - so their class AB products tend to de-emphasize any "solid state glare" or "tizz" or "harshness" that might be present. All in all they made some good engineering decisions.

The late Wayne Picquet of Quad rebuilding fame told me once that his favorite amp for his Quads was an NAD power amp, I forget which model, but to him it gave the sound he felt showed the qualities of the Quads to best effect without costing an arm and a leg.

I like their industrial design as well. It's right up there next to the stuff Dieter Rams did for Braun. Not everyone likes it, but I think it is great and was ahead of it's time.

=======================
Science doesn't care what you believe.

 

RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 16, 2021 at 10:15:30
farfetched
Audiophile

Posts: 963
Location: Cleveland!
Joined: October 13, 2010
 Well, the LRS is a valuable audio tool. It is supposed to entice you to move up, but it does so well, and you can experiment, that it is almost it's own niche

I use a 50w Audiolab 8000a integrated that I bought back in 1992. I've often posted how it seems to click. This combo has left my much beefier BAT separates sitting and wondering what they did wrong. Nothing! But the Audiolab (I think it comes down to simplicty of only having one pair of transistors per channel) is exactly what I am looking for these days -- clarity, accuracy, and I also simply never listen in the 100db range anymore. I simply no longer find it pleasing.

Except for some periodic EVH.


/ optimally proportioned triangles are our friends


 

RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 16, 2021 at 10:07:55
StevieRay
Audiophile

Posts: 359
Location: Virginia
Joined: September 7, 2000
 I've run both Maggie MMG's and Quad ESL-57's (!) from an old but recapped NAD 3020B.

You wouldn't kick any of them out of the room.

The 3020B would huff and puff when running the MMG, but still was loud enough...-..and on either speaker, the Little NAD sounded sweeter than it had any right to be. Normal amp for MMG is cj MF 2250, but the 3020 didn't embarrass itself.

 

Old NAD, posted on November 17, 2021 at 11:40:25
M3 lover
Audiophile

Posts: 6604
Location: SW Mich
Joined: May 29, 2005
Contributor
  Since: July 4, 2007
 I still own a 3020A which is original except for the mini 5-way binding posts I installed. For several years I used it to drive Signet speakers for TV audio. Any number of times I was surprised when watching a concert performance and how natural the audio seemed to be.

I suppose it might sound OK with any of the smaller Maggies but I expect 2-3 times the output would be beneficial. Still, that's a tribute to an old design.

Right now it is boxed up but I should probably have it recapped if I ever want to use it again.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 16, 2021 at 11:09:52
G Squared
Audiophile

Posts: 8487
Location: Washington, DC Metro Area
Joined: November 16, 2004
Contributor
  Since: May 23, 2023
 I still have 2 NAD 3020 integrated amps. No recap - one doing amp only duty in my son's rig today. I used one with a pair of SMGa. I thought it was great until I got a garage find Crown DC 300A and heard them really open up.
Gsquared

 

RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 14, 2021 at 19:29:52
trioderob
Audiophile

Posts: 753
Joined: May 15, 2015
 it sounds great until you use a real high current amp - then your jaw will drop

 

RE: Maggie LRS + 40W NAD C316BEE integrated = "A gift of the GODS!", posted on November 14, 2021 at 16:51:54
Green Lantern
Audiophile

Posts: 16952
Location: San Diego, Ca
Joined: November 12, 2002
Contributor
  Since: June 17, 2003
 Well 40w for $500 and it sounds that great, I wonder what the bigger brother sounds like-









 

Seems like a wonderful match for musical truth -nt, posted on November 14, 2021 at 13:03:06
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37644
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002

 

Page processed in 0.026 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]