One fellow here had mono BBA3 amps driving his, he had nothing to say but good things about the combination.
Russellc
Russellc
Bob Cordell's book contains a few examples that show you how to calculate the output current of a power amplifier, from its specs. Once you know the output current you can calculate how much power the amp can deliver into (for example) a 1-ohm load. I hope the Magnepan is easier to drive than a 1 ohm resistor!
This is the amp I used
https://www.passdiy.com/project/amplifiers/build-a-mosfet-citation-12. Don't remember much about the specifications though. I remember the ST70 working well too but with less bottom end. I tried matching subs into the small panels but never got it to work, the closest I came was sealed boxes with a qtc around .7 When I moved I had to ditch the panels because they just did not work in the new room.
Traditional Magneplanar designs are sold as purely resistive, with stable 4ohm impedances.
Those units are variants of wire glued to a diaphragm. Models with 'outboard' ribbons behave differently, but within the limits of most amplifiers.
What isn't clear (even after forty years revisiting this design) is what compression is happening at peak excursion.
I liken Magnepans to Caravans: they can carry a good deal to a given destination, but not quickly - without a large engine up front.
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Interesting analogy, anti. So that begs the question, if both are not possible given the constraints (we're talking DIY Pass amps here after all) is one more important than the other? In other words, is quick current delivery more important than raw power? Or the other way around? I tend to think current is more important based on what I've read, but I have no listening experience. Plenty of people seem to get satisfactory results in the 25 to 30 wpc range, though I also understand that they may be much happier if they had higher power and equivalent current performance.
I'm no expert on power supply design. The best I ever had with Maggies was an AVA amp with a bank of capacitors augmenting the power supply.
It was just okay. I heard a set of Aleph amps driving Reference 3A monitors.
That set me on the path I've followed since. Fewer parts, more efficient dynamic speakers.
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It was just okay. I heard a set of Aleph amps driving Reference 3A monitors.
That set me on the path I've followed since. Fewer parts, more efficient dynamic speakers.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
As I remember my Magnepan MG1 (a or b or something maybe...) pair from the 80ties, early 80ties, they was an easy load as they were some 5 or 6 Ohms resistive. But they needed swing to sing! They kind of opened up with large amplifiers, able to swing Volts i think. NP's A-40 worked quite well. But I think I also used some Yamaha class-B'ish amplifiers from that era, certainly not V-FETs to lay that dead, but rather a generation or two newer. Anyway, that was quite a happy marriage, with the Yamaha of the day. Relatively affordable. Yamaha M-80 I believe...
BUT. I was never really happy with the Magnepans. They sang playing loud, like in party mode, but more pianissimo was not their in their ball park. And the bass was always missing. I remember playing some Claudio Abbado record on DG, the timpani was like hitting a plastic bucket. Well, anyway, quite subjective I guess....
Still, I came from box speakers, the Maggies was quite a revelation. Midrange. Voices. All that.
Later i got the opportunity to purchase a pair of the original Quad ESL speakers. The so-called '57 models. Those speakers were in another league. The great midrange of the Maggies was now replaced by something reminiscent of the real thing.
And the Quad 57 with the aforementioned A-40 (by our Guiding Light etc) was in another league. Out with Maggies, in with electrostatics.
As a side note I borrowed the A-40 and purchased a pair of ML-2s.
I shall not tire you out with what replaced what.
But my advice is to instead of Maggies, get yourself a pair of old Quads.
And at last coming to the point, I believe the F-5 is the PERFECT amplifier for the Quads. (The old Quads is the one piece (two really) of audio equipment I regret selling. Their midrange - at least for a part of the frequency and dynamic range - may still be unsurpassed.)
But, newer, larger Maggies, with the very fine ribbon tweeter, .... What do I know 😕
Maybe Papa has some warm nice Tokin quasi-complementary high voltage-wattage V-FETs up his sleeve????
I should elaborate on my original question. I follow that same path, anji, with a 1.8wpc tube amp I built driving some DIY efficient speakers (a "BOFU" TL designed by the man himself). That's the living room amp, and at 13 x 14 the room is small enough that this is all I would ever need.
But I'm also finishing up a barn space for listening (and my office since I'm self-employed). That space is roughly 20x 24 with open/cathedral ceilings. I set up a system using a 5wpc single ended transistor amp I built with some Vandersteen 1Cs and the sound was pretty anemic. Mids and higher frequencies were great, but the low end was missing (it's there but barely). I switched to a LM3886 chip amp I built (about 65wpc) and that wasn't much better. I asked some local audio friends and one who is quite knowledgeable (understatement) and has owned Maggie 1.6s suggested them or a larger version. Since I've always wanted to use Maggies in a system, I'm planning to go that route. I'm considering a tube amp for them (still thinking that through) but also considering a solid state amp. Since my budget won't allow for a commercial Pass amp, I'd need to go DIY, and that was why I posted this. (I'll consider other options too, but as I've said, I'm intrigued by the Pass designs and this forum means there's likely to be a lot of help if I need it.)
Hope that clarifies where I'm coming from.
But I'm also finishing up a barn space for listening (and my office since I'm self-employed). That space is roughly 20x 24 with open/cathedral ceilings. I set up a system using a 5wpc single ended transistor amp I built with some Vandersteen 1Cs and the sound was pretty anemic. Mids and higher frequencies were great, but the low end was missing (it's there but barely). I switched to a LM3886 chip amp I built (about 65wpc) and that wasn't much better. I asked some local audio friends and one who is quite knowledgeable (understatement) and has owned Maggie 1.6s suggested them or a larger version. Since I've always wanted to use Maggies in a system, I'm planning to go that route. I'm considering a tube amp for them (still thinking that through) but also considering a solid state amp. Since my budget won't allow for a commercial Pass amp, I'd need to go DIY, and that was why I posted this. (I'll consider other options too, but as I've said, I'm intrigued by the Pass designs and this forum means there's likely to be a lot of help if I need it.)
Hope that clarifies where I'm coming from.
either BA3 or F5T must do the job
find big cases , fill them with mosfets , choose FE adn crank it to 55C at heatsinks
it must work
say BA3 , 6 to 10 deep , rails at 28Vdc or something like that ....... say that 48Vac CT xformer will do , resulting with 30V rails
Modushop 4U/400 case will stand 100W heat per side , so hefty monoblocks are possible
though , I'm not advocating A class all the way to sky , heavy A class is enough - 20W or so , rest goes nice with a Klunk!
find big cases , fill them with mosfets , choose FE adn crank it to 55C at heatsinks
it must work
say BA3 , 6 to 10 deep , rails at 28Vdc or something like that ....... say that 48Vac CT xformer will do , resulting with 30V rails
Modushop 4U/400 case will stand 100W heat per side , so hefty monoblocks are possible
though , I'm not advocating A class all the way to sky , heavy A class is enough - 20W or so , rest goes nice with a Klunk!
is there possibility to reach them (maggies ) on xover level ?
nice tube amp (PP) driving mid+high , and F4-ish amp buffering the bass ?
if I understood well - issue isn't voltage (SPL) but cojones for foundation .....
nice tube amp (PP) driving mid+high , and F4-ish amp buffering the bass ?
if I understood well - issue isn't voltage (SPL) but cojones for foundation .....
R-K,
I've heard great things about those Quads but I don't know if they would handle the bass I need in such a large space. Anyone? I also thought they were beyond my budget, but I see a pair fairly locally that might fit the bill.
I've heard great things about those Quads but I don't know if they would handle the bass I need in such a large space. Anyone? I also thought they were beyond my budget, but I see a pair fairly locally that might fit the bill.
Sounds reasonable old boy Zenny. Give the Maggies some swing and you will get the most out of them.
As I understand it, cojones for foundation is the issue. At least according to many.
I know some 1.6 can be bi-amped but I don't know exactly how it's set up. Even if not set up well for that there's ALWAYS access to the crossover, and many have modded them that way, so maybe I'd consider that. I have a few tube amps that could probably drive the mids-uppers, so I would still need an amp for the low end.
If ZM say F5T, who am I to argue? I'll look further into that.
Could pose a problem. On the other hand, people who have never heard Quads states they are bass shy, but that is not entirely true. The bass there is is of high quality, but not in the league of, say, Infinity IRS or such of course. So, in a large room they just might need cojones in the bottom register, as good old Zenny says.
Speakers are difficult. All about compromises.
BTW I have heard the Magnepan room dividers (Tympany) on several occasions many years ago, and they were both impressive and very good.
I remember listening SMGs eons ago , in time when I made my first toob preamp (Anzai SRPP from Elektor) , we tried for fun driving them with EL84SE amp
sound had everything and some , sans bass
sound had everything and some , sans bass
I mentioned F5T as one of possible coices ( even if you'll never hear me saying that any F5-like amp is my fave
try digging that biamp route - easiest test is to try driving mid+high with your fave amp
if that satisfies , it's easy to ad something as F4 (on steroids) to pump the bass , driven ditto from tube amp output
Sure enough. There are things in between Quad and Cerwin-Vega.
But if you have heard the life-like voice rendering of, say, a Quad, you will look for that (hear I mean) forever after. However. You may turn that argument around, if you have heard the ear-deafening SPLs of other concepts, you may also search for that forever. Compromises.....
/RK
of course - there is always possibility to find some big and ugly American Duckling and make biiiig boxes , finally enjoying proper Audiophilia pension .... having speakers potent enough for space .... ( if not enough , just double 
)
disclaimer - Tannoys are perfect for American Audiosnobs , while Altecs are perfect for European Audiosnobs
see example (of not snobbish approach ) : 6moons audio reviews: Stephæn's Altec 604 Dream Speaker
disclaimer Pt.2 : I'm (sort of ) living in Eu and I don't have Altecs ...... but that's sole point where I skipped being Audiosnob
)disclaimer - Tannoys are perfect for American Audiosnobs , while Altecs are perfect for European Audiosnobs
see example (of not snobbish approach ) : 6moons audio reviews: Stephæn's Altec 604 Dream Speaker
disclaimer Pt.2 : I'm (sort of ) living in Eu and I don't have Altecs ...... but that's sole point where I skipped being Audiosnob
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