Those speakers have a 4ohm impedance which means they are hard to drive. You need to get an amplifier that is rated for a 2ohm impedances and not every amp can do that. I would encourage you to look at NAD as they are very good at dealing with low impedance speakers or Parasound.

If you want just a power amp, consider the NAD C 275 BEE at $1299 or the Parasound Halo A23. I believe your Creek unit has Pre-amp outs so you could easily one to your existing system.

Neither company publishes a 2ohm rating that I can find but NAD has a portion of their site dedicated to explaining their ratings and they are explicit that they can handle speakers at a 2 ohm impedance. Parasound's Halo line carries a THX certification and being able to handle a 2 ohm impedance is part of the THX testing.

I have listened to the NAD C 275 BEE paired with an NAD C 165BEE. One of my local dealers uses that combo to drive speakers in their showroom.

I spent quite a bit of time listening to it when I was auditioning speakers for my home theatre. I bought the Sunfire HRS line for my 7.1 channel after listening to them driven by the NAD equipemnt. I found the NAD to be detailed, a hair warm and in that showroom, it had a deep 3 dimensional sound. What I am not sure about is how much of that is the NAD power amp or the Sunfire speakers. .

Because NAD does not have a balanced pre/pro or power amp in the sub $3K range, I did not consider them seriously when I was looking to power my home theatre. I have a personal bias in favor of balanced equipment which I am not entirely sure is rational.

I went out and seriously demo'd the Parasound Halo equipment. The Halo line is balanced and I seriously considered Parasound Halo P5 with the Halo A23 for my 2.1 system. Parasound was more neutral to me than the NAD. Still very detailed but lacked that touch of warmth. Ultimately, I just don't need 125w of power to drive my Revels and settled for a Rega Brio R for $1350 less and don't regret the decision.

The one other wild card would be to look for something vintage. I really like the Carver TFM-35CB. It has more power than you need, but it is a mind bogglingly good sounding power amp and you could probably pick one up that has been refurbed for $500 to $600.

rrstesiak wrote:

Any suggestions on an integrated or amp for Magnepan MMG? Price IS an object; need to keep it under $2,000. I currently have a Creek Evolution 50A integrated at the core of my system and do like it.

Mostly, I am looking for solid state as opposed to tube; and I am also interested in someone's experience with the MMG's and what wattage they really need to perform optimally. The Magnepan website unfortunately was of absolute no help in suggestion wattage .

Thanks In Advance,

Ron

The Arcam A28 amplifier would be my first choice for plenty of power and great sound quality.

I see it at Magnolia for $1700.

The Musical Fidelity M6 integrated is significantly better, but it is $7000; it should be!

I use the Musical Fidelity M6PRX amplifier to drive my Vandersteen Treos, and it is excellent-sounding. I drive it with an Audio Research LS26 preamp.

You would have to spend 3 to 4 times as much money for a tube amp in the class you would need.

I read that Maggies do best with solid state, high output (150 wpc or better) amplifiers. On Audiogon, I purchased a used Marantz PM-94 for $550, and I believe this is a match made in heaven. Similar vintage integrated amps such as McIntosh 6100 or 6200 would probably do just as well.

Haven't ever heard the GFA 555, but Stereophile gave a glowing review back in 1995.I looked at Adcom before I went with the Marantz, and I liked the sound and build quality. Before buying two, I would try one alone to see if it delivers the sound you're after. If not, you can always find a companion. Good luck! Steve

You can't go wrong with either one. I have heard and liked both, so it's really up to your listening preferences. In that price range, I'd check out HK 990, Peachtree Audio nova125SE, or Audio Research. I just saw a used ARC VT-60 on ebay for $1695.

Adcom is solid but unspectacular. They make a high quality amp that delivers a lot of power at the expense of fine detail. TheyAdcoms are very much like the Parasound Halo A21 and A23. It won't offend you and sound awful but it won't wow you either. Your Creek is a more refined product, just with a lower power output. If you want to take a step forward both in power and detail, you are going to want to pass on Adcom.

The NAD amps you are considering are closer to even in quality vs. your Creek but will only be step forward in power output. You would be better served getting the Bryston power amp you have been looking at. If I was comfortable with used gear, personally, I would buy a used Ayre V-5xe which I saw on Audiogon for $2500. It may not have the monstrous power output of some of these others, but it cleanly doubles its output as impedance is halved. 300w into 4ohms. And the level of refinement is in a completely different league compared to Adcom or NADs BEE series.

For new equipment, you would be much better served waiting and getting a Musical Fidelity M6 or a Rogue Audio Medusa at $3500 or $4K respectively.

Accidental double post

IMO, you still need to decide on speakers first. If there is one thing I learned in my most recent purchase, equipment in this price range is far from neutral. With an eye toward Maggies only:

The NAD Master Series M22 at $3K - 250w of power and for Class D, they are licensing an elite Class D module called nCore. This is a great sounding power amp and blows the C275BEEs out of the water.

Musical Fidelity M6 PRX at $3500 - I believe you are familiar.

Rogue Audio Medusa at $4K - 200w into 8ohms, 400w into 4ohms with their exclusive Tube D technology. It requires effort to find the right preamp but this line gets The Absolute Sound Editor's Choice award for a reason. Stereophile hasn't reviewed it but I am certain it would get an A rating. The Hydra, which is what I have is 100w/200w into 8ohms and 4ohms and is $3K.

After really digging and trying to find exceptional values, these three are the least expensive power amps I can find that I think are real stand outs. Honestly, it is easy to find $8K or $10K power amps that sound great. These are the few, elite modestly priced amps.

I would reach out and spend some time talking to a Maggie dealer. Reality is, listening volume matters as doessize of room. All speakers will open up with the right amount of power and I have no idea what amount of power is required for Maggies. I do know that my Ayre dealer sells Maggies and demos them with that Ayre v-5xe amp and he said it shows them off very well. Incidentally, that is why I thought of it for you.

My Ayre dealer is also a Parasound dealer and they have the P5 and Halo A23 on display and use it to drive their bookshelf speakers. I asked about the A21 when I was nervous about the Rogue and the conclusion is it is nice but unspectacular. You will not step forward in quality, only power. The real gems in Parasounds line are the JC-1,2 and 3+.

Here is another thought and is how I got killer prices on the Rogue and Ayre units I bought. Hunt down a floor model. Most retailers like to turn their floor models over every 12 to 18 months and will usually give you 20-30% off and the manufacturer treats it like it's a new so full warranty. This is no help for an Ayre amp, but could help out with Musical Fidelity or Bryston.

Regarding class D, I got it. I am technically far from being an expert and I know nothing about why it works or doesn't work so you aren't going to offend me. I just listen and buy the amp I like the best and have heard several class Ds that I think are exceptional. Ignorance is bliss and for me, it is all about the sound. The reason they keep popping up though is that they don't need the monstrous power supplies and heat sink of class A or even A/B and just cost less to make. Unfortunately, really great class A or A/B units just seem to cost more.

In fairness, until about a year ago, I thought all class Ds were crap with the exception of Peachtree. The first really exceptional Class D I heard was Peachtree Nova 220. What a monster of a power amp for $1000 and it sounds fantastic. If it came out today, they would probably sell a ton of them. Three years ago they struggled to move them at all. The market just wasn't ready yet.

Kudos to commsysman for pointing this one out.

If I was going to roll the dice on a non-class D amp that is below $3500, I would probably try out a Vincent. The Vincent SP-331 is $1299 from Upscale Audio and the SP-331MK which won Absolute Sounds Editor's Choice award is $2499. These are well designed amps with the 311MK giving you Class A output for the first 10w while power output doubles as impedance is halved with its monstrous 1000w power supply.

Additionally, the Hybrid design would likely meld really well with a Solid State preamp like the Musical Fidelity M6. The tube based inputs on the Vincent would help soften to forwardness that you will get from a solid state preamp.

For $5K brand new, that would not be an easy combination to beat. Additionally, the internal phono stage on that Musical Fidelity is going to be similar to slightly better than the Vincent you currently have. I was told that to beat it, you will need to step up to the Musical Surroundings Phonomena II which is $650.