Budget speaker amp for Maggies

[Chekhonte]

I currently have a yamaha M80 amp that I found on craigslist for 150 bucks but I've been getting the itch to upgrade. I have no experience with speakers and don't know what a decent budget amp for magnaplanar speakers would be. What would you recommend?

[Grahame]

Looks like you did well on craigslist.

Some people speak highly of it over on audiokarma

[ame=http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4671]Yamaha M-80 (longish) - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums[/ame]

Are you using the Auto Class A switch?

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/av/english/SepA/M-80.pdf

if you got the matching C85 preamp looks like you got yourself a score that would be hard to better at the price...

[feckn_eejit]

My MG-IIIa beasties (gifted from a family friend!) started me down the path to Audiophilia Nervosa beginning about ten years ago... they have been through a shitty 90's Pioneer receiver, a Hafler SE240, B&K ST-140, B&K ST-202+, Bryston 4B NRB, Bryston 4B SST and finally a Pass X250.5. Not to mention every other upgrade to every other component... they just continue to get better!

Obviously the later stuff is better but it costs big bucks... but the B&K ST-202+ is AWESOME! How many amps you can pick up for a few hundred used can go in after a honkin' big Pass Labs amp and not be embarrassed? This is one! It's not quite as good in the bass slam department as the Brystons (then again neither is the X250.5, which is why I'd like to biamp with 7B ST monos on the bass panels...) but much less harsh and grainy in the high end with the brutal ribbon tweeters. Many call its sound "tubey", which while I think is unjustified, isn't a totally outrageous comment.

I could not possibly rave enough about the ST-202+... they pop up on AgoN with some regularity for less than $400 usually... and trust me, with Maggies, you will not replace it until you are ready to spend more than a couple grand on another amp. Try to find one of the earlier ones with the gold writing on the front, they are built fairly differently than the later ones and sound a fair bit better. If you can't find a +, you could get away with a ST-202, and perhaps even a ST-140 if you don't listen too loud. Since you have something to listen to now, I'd hold out for a ST-202+, and then you'll easily be able to go up the Maggie chain quite comfortably. The ST-202+ sounds fantastic on my Totem Forest speakers as well, and my buddys B&W CDM-1s (really brought more bass out of the CDM-1s than we thought they were capable of!)

Check out the Planar Asylum and you should see a fair bit more praise for the ST-202+.