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If this is the crux of your question, then it should be in multiple parts.

You should be asking more follow-up questions. For instance, your asking about least amount of power, but for which size Magnepan? What size room are we discussing? Also, the types of music you favor may influence the choice of amplification.

Then there are design considerations for whatever amplifier you pair with your Maggies. What is the topology of the amp(s)? Stereo or monoblock configuration? Is/are your amp(s) stable with 4 Ohm loads and lower?

The one fact we know is that Maggies love lots of power in reserve to draw on. There's such a thing as too much at least in theory, perhaps a better description would be overkill, but common sense logic should determine which power amplification topology to acquire.

Personally, I'd never look for the least amount of amplification advisable for any Magneplanar as that does a disservice to the concept of a performance speaker system, not to mention your own listening pleasure.

Is there such a thing as too much? Maggies can drink heavily, but everything is relative. For instance, I have a Sanders Magtech for my 3.7i Maggies which are set up in a very large vaulted listening room. This amp is spec'd at 900 WPC into 4 Ohms, which is ample power for my Maggies in my listening room. But it would probably be overkill for smaller Maggies especially in instances where speakers are set-up in a smaller listening area.

Arbitrarily, I'd think 150 to 200 WPC into a 4 Ohm load would be ideally suited for the smallest Maggie designs in a cozy listening room. My inclination would be to double that for the 1.7 series and so on (I'd probably look at Sanders Magtech monoblocks for the 20 or 30 series speakers). This amplification is Class A/B topology.

Class D and tube amplification can also find harmony with Maggies and, dependent upon music preferences and the execution of the design topology, may provide more options with less power consumption.

Finally, everything stated above comes with the caveat that mileage will vary. Whatever works best for me might not work at all for you. All I'm saying is that there are more consideration than just how much amplification is suitable for driving Maggies. That said, they're by no means minimalist speakers; that goes for the power that drives them as well.

Cheers,
AuPh

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