Best amp for Magico S5's?

Reading up on this baby...

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Review:

http://www.tonepublications.com/review/rogers-ehf-200-mk2-integrated-amplifier/
 
Mike, As I've mentioned to you, I've heard that Rogers amp. It's FANTASTIC! I heard it right next to a pair of ARC 250s at Stereo Exchange NYC. It blew the ARC pair away. For me, it was the perfect combination of tube sweetness,holographic imaging and SS bottom end. Made beautifully. You also have to respect a company that will give you a lifetime warranty.
 
It certainly looks interesting. I'm going to try my Dag amps, VAC 200's, the Accuphase E-560 and Brent from VAC is going to bring over a VAC i160 for me to try too. That being said, the Vitus SIA-025 is at the top of my list.
 
I wonder if the Vitus SIA-025 would be a great match for the Magico S3? I know Vitus and S5's get great reviews. Hmmmm.
 
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Hegel H30. Unbelievable synergy with the q3, I assume the same with the S5.
 
Hegel is wonderful gear for the money, but uber neutral sounding. It has been my experience with the S series that they do best with tubes or Class A type amps. Constellation is also a favorite of many because it does seem to balance out the S5's nicely.

On my short list is:

Vitus SIA-025
Accuphase A-65
Aesthetix Atlas Stereo Sig
Accuphase e-600
Pass XA.8 series
VAC 300.1a stereo amp
VAC 200 stereo amp
Mc 275 mk6, C50
 
From very recent experience with the q3 driven by the ref 250, the later simply could not control and bring out the best in the q3 like the H 30 did with ease. In fact, and shockingly at that, the H 30 sounded more tube like than the 250, fuller in the midrange and presenting denser images within a deeper and wider soundstage. A true revelation for a long time Audio Research customer. And that with the Ref Anniversary driving the amps. I'm not concluding that Hegel amps are better than ARC's but for the tricky Magico designs, this is surely the case, at least in my experience.
 
Dafos said:
From very recent experience with the q3 driven by the ref 250, the later simply could not control and bring out the best in the q3 like the H 30 did with ease. In fact, and shockingly at that, the H 30 sounded more tube like than the 250, fuller in the midrange and presenting denser images within a deeper and wider soundstage. A true revelation for a long time Audio Research customer. And that with the Ref Anniversary driving the amps. I'm not concluding that Hegel amps are better than ARC's but for the tricky Magico designs, this is surely the case, at least in my experience.
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Very interesting. I'm not surprised that ARC and Magico wasn't a good match. Too much of a good thing perhaps? I've actually never seen them paired together. I do love ARC gear with Sonus Faber and Revel though. And I would DEFINITELY agree that the Q series is more of a challenge to pair and get right than a lot of speakers - especially to the S series, which to me, sounded great with everything I could throw at them: ARC, Mc, Sim, Spectral, Vitus, etc. The Hegel gear represents an excellent, no nonsense value in high end.
 
If you mean by too much of a good thing like too much detail, that definitely wasn't the case with the ARC - Magico pairing. It's what was MISSING with the ARC - Q3 combo that astounded me when the H 30 was substituted. I could not believe my ears and after more than a week, it's impossible to listen to the Q3 with the 250's. Believe me I wanted the ARC to win this battle since I've owned it for close to two years and a whole lot of ARC gear in the past. But if I want to stick to the Q3, which after hearing its real potential after the H 30 pairing, there's no turning back to tube amps. What scares me is the thought of the d'agostino mono blocs driving the Q3 which is an option available to me. But not its price tag....
 
Dafos said:
If you mean by too much of a good thing like too much detail, that definitely wasn't the case with the ARC - Magico pairing. It's what was MISSING with the ARC - Q3 combo that astounded me when the H 30 was substituted. I could not believe my ears and after more than a week, it's impossible to listen to the Q3 with the 250's. Believe me I wanted the ARC to win this battle since I've owned it for close to two years and a whole lot of ARC gear in the past. But if I want to stick to the Q3, which after hearing its real potential after the H 30 pairing, there's no turning back to tube amps. What scares me is the thought of the d'agostino mono blocs driving the Q3 which is an option available to me. But not its price tag....
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The D'Agostino Stereo is a great value. Going from the stereo to the mono, you gain approximately 2db. That being said, I have compared the monos (which I own) to the stereo (which I demoed in my home) and the monos do a lot more. To me, the monos are quieter, more dynamic, they seem to go lower, have better bass control and soundstage width and depth is better.

Have you looked at Vitus? Vitus/Magico has always been a great pairing in my experience. Vitus Class A amps specifically.

For tubes, VAC/Magico is something else to look at. A pair of phi200's perhaps?
 
Dafos said:
From very recent experience with the q3 driven by the ref 250, the later simply could not control and bring out the best in the q3 like the H 30 did with ease. In fact, and shockingly at that, the H 30 sounded more tube like than the 250, fuller in the midrange and presenting denser images within a deeper and wider soundstage. A true revelation for a long time Audio Research customer. And that with the Ref Anniversary driving the amps. I'm not concluding that Hegel amps are better than ARC's but for the tricky Magico designs, this is surely the case, at least in my experience.
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Agreed - the H30 sounded more rich and tubey with my S5s than my VAC 450S
 
Dpod4 said:
Agreed - the H30 sounded more rich and tubey with my S5s than my VAC 450S
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That really is a strong statement. While the ref 250's are great tube amps, people whose ears I trust tell me that the Vac amps have more of the classic tube sound tha the somewhat neutral 250. But for the H 30 to sound more rich and tubey than the 450's.....The local dealer, who was recently visited by a Hegel rep, claims that the S5 is the current speaker used by Hegel to vice their products. Otoh, magico allegedly ordered a pair of H 30's. This is strictly hearsay but if true, the apparent Magico-Hegel synergistic magic is no accident.
 
Darrin - I'm not surprised. We heard the VAC 450's at RMAF and it was a let down. But it might have been the Tannoy's. Not sure. Tube rolling is a must. The stock tubes produce a very neutral (and thin) sound to my ears. I understand the predicament that tube amp manufacturers are in. They certainly can't stock NOS tubes in their amps due to a whole variety of reasons, so they are "stuck" with new tube availability - but that doesn't mean we are! :D
 
I think it is very difficult to characterize the sound of the power amplifier without referring to the preamplifier - in order to know how a REF250 really sounds you have to listen to it using a REF40 or REF10. IMHO this applies to most power amplifiers - I was not a big fan of the D'Agostino's power amplifiers, only after I listened to them with the D'Agostino Preamp I entered the supporter group!
 
microstrip said:
I think it is very difficult to characterize the sound of the power amplifier without referring to the preamplifier - in order to know how a REF250 really sounds you have to listen to it using a REF40 or REF10. IMHO this applies to most power amplifiers - I was not a big fan of the D'Agostino's power amplifiers, only after I listened to them with the D'Agostino Preamp I entered the supporter group!
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From personal experience, I can say that the D'Agostino preamp is one of those special pieces that makes EVERY amp sound amazing and better.
 
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