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

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Planar Speaker Asylum ] [ Return to Search Results ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Living with Maggies: my 3.7i experience to date, with amp reviews.

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on April 25, 2018 at 17:36:42

To tweak or not to tweak, that is the question. Whether ''tis nobler to seek an endless dream via modifications or withdraw into the comfort of attainable satisfaction within the constructs of one's listening environment, endless musical sources and a wide range of musical gear.

Having lived with the 3.7i system for nearly four years, I can say with confidence that musical satisfaction is achievable without a lot of DIY tinkering, bi-amping and endless tweaking. As far as tweaks are concerned, simply changing sources upstream will likely have the greatest impact on music reproduction. Amps, preamps, players & turntables/cartridges, cables & interconnects, power supplies, tubes and/or SS gear, sobwoofer(s) etc., will likely have more impact on musicality than fiddling with the speakers beyond the initial room set-up.

One change that I've made recently brought all of this into perspective. My Magtech amp seemed to be overheating outside of the parameters described in the sales literature. Also, sound-wise, my amp didn't seem quite as open as it had been. Was this an amp problem, something upstream or just my imagination (audiophilia nervosa)? After doing a little sleuthing on-line, I learned that the 4000 series Motorola thermal track transistors could fail over time, the problem inherent in Magtech amps sold prior to 2016. Roger agreed to check out the amp, replace the transistors and make sure it was up to spec., all under the Sanders Sound lifetime warranty.

In the meantime, concern over being without music for a prolonged period while my amp was in the shop influenced a bold decision prompted by curiosity. It provided me with a rationale ...or excuse, if you prefer... for purchasing a pair of high powered, light weight mono-block amps that I'd read about that purportedly work well with Maggies difficult load (2 Ohms stable) and would serve as back-up amps should the Magtech ever require more service. The Class D topology of the Wyred4Sound SX-1000R is quite different from the beefy ...and heavy... Class A/B topology of the Sanders Magtech even though both produce the substantial wattage required to quench Maggies thirst for power.

As they break-in, I've found the Wyred4Sound amps are providing just as enjoyable a listening experience as the Magtech amp was when new. The sound signature is indeed different, but not in any negative way that I can describe. Each design topology has it's strengths with few, if any, weaknesses. Oddly enough, the Magtech seems much more forgiving of poor recordings, perhaps a tad warmer (sound-wise as opposed to when it was running too hot) with a wider and deeper soundstage. The Wyred4Sound SX-1000R amps seem more open & extended, slightly forward presentation and slightly more transparent. They also run cool to the touch at high volume. In either case, you get your money's worth and then some (IMHO).

So, there you have it, a recommendation for two excellent amps that work quite well with Maggies.

Cheers,
AuPh

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

---

[ 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 ]

---