Pass or Bryston with Magnepans?
- Thread starter Hasse
- Start date
Neither. I would suggest a pair of Moscode 402au bridged in mono. Or the Sanders Magtech.
See Sanders website.
See absolute sound review for moscode.
Between the two I would go Brytson. Not only do they sound great they are probably less expensive and Maggie used them as demo..
One more fly in the ointment- McIntosh tubes.
Edit :iirc Maggie a pair of 7b. 8 don't know what incarnation that is now.
See Sanders website.
See absolute sound review for moscode.
Between the two I would go Brytson. Not only do they sound great they are probably less expensive and Maggie used them as demo..
One more fly in the ointment- McIntosh tubes.
Edit :iirc Maggie a pair of 7b. 8 don't know what incarnation that is now.
Bruce B
WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
I've tried Bryston, Pass and Parasound on my Maggies and prefer the Pass amps.
Thanks but not interested in Moscode or Sanders, don’t even think they are available here in Sweden.
The 7B3 and X260.8 carry the same pricetag here.
I have heard the Bryston 4B3 on the big 30.7’s and I can audition the X250.8 but not the monos 7B3 or 260.8.
Take the Bryston. Great sound.. lifetime guarantee. Reasonably priced.
.Sanders does export worlwide.
O have to confess j don't care for Pass. They are a bit too polite for my taste. If you go ss you want amp that is authoritarian. Otherwise what-s the point?
The good news is the maggies are amplifier friendly. Personal preference is the key
The good news is the maggies are amplifier friendly. Personal preference is the key
They are often described as tube like so perhaps they are a bit polite compared to some ss amps.
Are they too polite?…..I compared the int250 against an Accuphase E800. The Accuphase was more laidback and polite, the Pass more open with a more authoritative bass. Have heard the same about the A48, it’s all relative.
the X250.8 will give you the '8' series flavor but one thing to keep in mind with respect to the X260.8 mono blocks , they have the highest initial Class A bias of any of the 'X' series amps, save the mighty '650'. As for them not being well suited with Maggies, BS !!
Would the X250.8 or 350.8 be a better match? Why would the 260’s not be a good match? Please enlighten me
I'm going to give the Pass Labs XA 25 a try with my Maggy .7s. I have a smaller room, and listen in the near field.
I never said the X260.8 wouldn't be a good match, in fact I'd take them over either the 250 or the 350 stereo units if for no other reason than what I stated in post #10.
fact of the matter is I am a Nelson Pass fan, over thirty five years ago I powered my then Maggie 3.6's with a Threshold S500 and still have fond memories of that pairing today !
The fact that the 260.8 monos are highly biased into class A, is this a good or a bad thing with Maggies?
Almost anything is worth a try . . . but 25 watts on an 86dB sensitivity loudspeaker . . . which needs real power to be kicked to life?
Please let us know how it goes!
If I can believe Stereophiles test results I should be getting something over 100 WPC into my 4 ohm .7s. If it's a dud on the Magnapans it's not a total loss as I'll try it on some of the rest of my "collection".
I‘ve owned Pass 260.8s For just over two years. 34 watts of Class A before they go AB (under rated at 520 into 4). I’ve never had mine go into Class AB. They drive my Magico M3s (91 dB) with ease. You may have to get out of Class A into Class AB, but I can’t imagine them not driving the Maggie’s. They sound awesome; tube-like goodness, but with solid state dependably - and plenty of power to spare. If you desire even more power try the 600.8s - but they will produce more heat at 100 watts of Class A …. (to warm for my home in FL).
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