When I used the 1.6's as my main speakers, I used my Classe' Twenty-Five(500wpc into 4ohms) biwired with XLO cable and got really good results. It was a very musical match with the 1.6. Great bass and dynamics along with a seamless transition into the mids and highs. I had originally auditioned the 1.6's with the PSE Studio V monoblocks single-wired with Audio magic cable it sounded tremendous with that setup as well. If you like the warmth of tubes but want to stay with solid state, I would recommend you seek out a BEL 1001 Mk V for audition. Much more apparent power is available than its rated 100wpc into 4 ohms. For a reliable tube amplifier, Quicksilvers are supposed to be near bulletproof. I would love to hear what a pair of V4's would sound like driving a pair of 1.6's!

jimburger January 01, 2005 23:03

Yes, definitely try the bi-amping again with the extra Outlaw channels. I'm running 400 watts total into each Maggie from my Outlaw 755 (200wpc), and the "presence" and power is intoxicating, even over running only two channels from the Outlaw. It's possible that the quality of sound from the Counterpoint will win out over the Outlaw, especially if the Outlaw is only putting out 100wpc.

I have to laugh; here I go saying I'll always biamp, but just yesterday I snatched a Unison Research Unico from the classifieds on Audiogon. I'm going to set up a secondary system, and I thought it'd make a super integrated amp for it.

However, I'll definitely put it into my main system for a run. Why not? I know I won't hear the power that currently is in my setup, but I'm guessing it may be quite a bit more accurate/detailed, along with a warmer presentation due to the Unico being hybrid, having tubes. If it does sound that much better, but without the power/presence, I'll cry, since I won't be able to have the best of both worlds. Yeah, I can see 22 watts from the Cary being really anemic, but hopefully 80watts with the Unico will be tolerable. We'll see. I'll probably post results on my Audiogon Home Theater page.

Does anyone else have input on this, re: amps which drive the Maggies well, but are not high power, or are not biampable? I'd be especially interested in discussion of amps which are hybrid, since it seems larger tube amps are quite expensive.

It will be very interesting to see whether the combination of an Audio Research LS-9 preamp with Outlaw 755 amp running biwired and biamped is superior to the Unico Unison biwired. I don't like sacrificing accuracy/detail over power, so if it's cleaner and more natural with the Unico, I will probably accept the lack of slam and live with it.
I know what you mean when you say no one else nearby shares your passion; my wife is mostly indifferent to my audio insanity. But that's ok; after twelve years of seeing my quest in audio, she's now expecting me to be flipping equipment in my attempt to achieve perfect sound!

Thanks for the straight talk on the corner room tuning. I think the larger pannels would reduce reflectinons more, but maybe that's just because we're dealing with Maggies and their unique dispersion pattern. At some point, I will need to add about four more of the pannels to my HT, to tame reflections on the long walls.

douglas_schroeder January 01, 2005 14:08

Hey Doug thanks for looking at my system. None of my friends or family is into the hobby so I turn to Audiogon to share. To answer a couple of your questions, I have upgraded all my power cables with Signal Cable magic cords which I like very much. I use Signal for most of my interconnects even though I do have some Mapleshade and MIT stuff in there as well. I have the speakers bi-wired and have tried them bi-amped with a Threshold 200A amp I had but really didn't hear a great difference. The Counterpoint amp is a hybrid amp producing 220 watts and has plenty of juice to make the 1.6's sing. It's a great older amp that I would suggest to anybody but they are cranky and prone to meltdowns (happened twice to me). I did try a cary tube amp, 22 watts a channel, and loved the sound it produced, very lush and a great midrange but the lack of power killed any long term enjoyment. At some point I will invest in a all tube amp with enough power (ASL Hurricanes?)to get back to that sound. I noticed no difference with the acoustical treatments installed! Maybe I have a tin ear with this kind of stuff. I do have two channels on my Outlaw amp doing nothing, maybe I'll try bi-amping again, what do you think?

ssand1 December 31, 2004 12:54

Greetings from a fellow "all Magnepan" surround Audiogoner.
I'm also using 1.6's; you may want to consider biamping each 1.6 as they improve radically with it.
I'm currently biwring and biamping each 1.6, and I will not go back to single wiring/amping any time soon.

Does your tube amp run out of steam when listening to louder passages? I see you've got some Outlaw equipment. I happen to own the 950 preamp from them, and I'm using four channels of a 755 amp to power the Maggie 1.6's.

I see you have those triangular sound traps in the upper corners. Were they significantly helpful, or just so so?

What are you using for interconnects? I have just changed all wiring in my system to Harmonic Technology, both interconnects and speaker cables.

Also, I'd recommend upgraded power cords; I tried Audioquest, MIT, Kimber and Harmonic Tech, and H. Tech bested them all. The power cords are relatively cheap and do make a significant difference, especially on the preamp and cd/DAC.

If you ever upgrade on the house, go for a ranch with high enough basement! Then you can try building the HT room; I never built anything before, but was motivated by the idea of a dedicated sound room. WORTH IT ALL!

Sounds like you've got big dreams for the future of your system. Hope they come true!

douglas_schroeder December 31, 2004 01:20