We sold some Magnepan MG 1.7i’s the recently to a fellow who is building a new system. The 1.7i’s are a beautiful way to start a system with GREAT resolution. He settled on the Maggies quickly, $2800
MG 1.7i’s ability to cast a life sized vocal and guitar presentation, for example, is just about as good as it gets! They have excellent resolution and tautness in the bass register. Maggies are flat out great for acoustic music.
You can get outstanding results driving them with a fine integrated amp like a Hegel H95 for $2200, or an NAD C-368 for $1200. The Hegel puts you in a better echelon of “intimacy” but the NAD is not to scoff at if the budget won’t accommodate a Hegel.
This fellow has been reading forums until all hours and has formed opinions that people in the flesh will have a tough time changing. He has copious hours of surfing in the middle of the night to experts and hobbyists all over creation. Some of these “characters” have become “friends.”
Well, when friends give you bad advice, it is STILL bad advice.
He beamed as he told me of what he was planning on mating with the Maggies. The wind blew out of my sails as he told me where he was going with this system. It didn’t stand a chance. Despite corresponding with rabid hobbyists, he was getting poor advice and poor sound.
It started well with the Maggies. Then it went right in the tank with an $800 subwoofer which is basically a home brew. While it has a brand name on it, it’s a plate amp with sub driver right out of a bin. The cabinet is heavy but can’t save the generic amp and woofer. You and I can buy the same parts for a modest price from Parts Express and get the same soggy performance as he did from a brand name.
It went on. He was going with a $1400 passive preamp which had gotten raves from his amigos. Oh no. 0-2. You want to talk about a death spiral? A soggy sub. A boring preamp. The Maggies will show you what’s on the other side. It’s not their fault if the sound isn’t ALIVE.
The power amp in the plan would be OK, if a bit bland also. It’s 100×2 for a grand. A lot of the web hounds like it cuz you buy direct. It has to be a better deal than what any store could provide, right? Well, you look inside and the box is more than half empty with 4 output transistors and a modest power supply. Ah, no thanks! NAD’s C-268 has hundreds of times less distortion, is impedance stable, runs cooler and sounds smoother.
Rather than be a jerk and say, “Danger Will Robinson!” I politely say thanks for the biz. Be sure to save your receipts in case you don’t like how the associated gear shakes hands with the Maggies.
In short order he visited with head down. He had gotten these new products and could tell his system didn’t have the definition, attack and spaciousness he’d heard in our shop. He asked me where I thought the problem was. What do I do? Whiz all over these three products he bought because everyone and his brother on this or that forum was WRONG?!
Power Amp
I could provide a significantly better power amp for $1000. NAD’s C-268 is a lightning fast, smooth sounding, cool running amp that is happy with ANY impedance. It’s virtually the same price as what he ordered- that looks like it was made in your garage in 1975.
Preamp
I could provide a significantly better preamp for a bit more- with built in MQA streamer no less! Passive preamps invariably sound mundane. Some guys love ’em due to the academic “discussion.” Sorry boys, they put me to sleep! The NAD C-658 stereo preamp/DAC/Streamer for $2000 is a hall of fame product! With excellent definition and not a hint of brightness, C658 also streams Tidal and hi-res performance. What’s not to love?! The passive guy is asleep at the wheel.
Subwoofer
I could provide a significantly better sounding sub for $1300. JL Audio’s D-110 features a cast basket driver that is four times larger than his bin sourced woofer. The amp is tougher. It is sealed and ideal to shake hands with Maggies. It isn’t boom-a-delic. And it’s all built in Fla.
In all three cases, Audio Emporium had better sounding gear than the forum “discoveries” this gentleman had In all three cases, Audio Emporium had better sounding gear than the forum “discoveries” this gentleman had unearthed. At the end of the day, he replaced the preamp and sub, and is living with his power amp for now. I hope he steps up with the power amp. We can provide him with smoother power with better KICK and dynamics than what he’s got now. C-268 is absolutely quieter too, if you’re a guy who enjoys acoustic music. And it will run much cooler and can be serviced throughout the US, not just in the back room of the guy who built his.