mcstatz5829
New member
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2025
- Messages
- 9
- Thread Author
- #1
So I’m not the most seasoned audiophile. I had a pair of Magnepans back in the day, either 1.6 or 1.7 I can’t remember, cobbled together with gear from Audiogon and Craigslist.
More recently, a pair of Martin Logan Motion 60XTI in a home theater setup. The setup was pretty decent on paper, Yamaha separates (CX-A5200 and MX-A5200), but listening to music even as background was just not enjoyable.
Fast forward a little bit in life, I moved to a new home and setup the Martin Logans in the living room with a Velodyne Optimum 12 subwoofer and a Yamaha integrated stereo receiver, capable little thing (R-N803). Sounded perfectly fine at low to moderate volumes. How much was room change vs receiver I can’t tell you. Music very enjoyable either as background or listening in sweet spot, but pushing the volume even a little and it didn’t sound right.
But in preparation for my big speaker upgrade, I bought a Sanders Magtech stereo amp and its brother preamp. Holy moly! I always believed headroom was real, but to hear it in action is completely different. These Martin Logans absolutely sing. The bass is tight and visceral. Sounds fantastic no matter the volume.
The magtech power supply’s voltage is regulated and it puts out 900W into 4 ohns which is probably enough even if you prefer to listen with double hearing protection.
Maybe I’ll change my tune with more experience, but I’m a big thumbs down on the “musical amp with no power” concept.
More recently, a pair of Martin Logan Motion 60XTI in a home theater setup. The setup was pretty decent on paper, Yamaha separates (CX-A5200 and MX-A5200), but listening to music even as background was just not enjoyable.
Fast forward a little bit in life, I moved to a new home and setup the Martin Logans in the living room with a Velodyne Optimum 12 subwoofer and a Yamaha integrated stereo receiver, capable little thing (R-N803). Sounded perfectly fine at low to moderate volumes. How much was room change vs receiver I can’t tell you. Music very enjoyable either as background or listening in sweet spot, but pushing the volume even a little and it didn’t sound right.
But in preparation for my big speaker upgrade, I bought a Sanders Magtech stereo amp and its brother preamp. Holy moly! I always believed headroom was real, but to hear it in action is completely different. These Martin Logans absolutely sing. The bass is tight and visceral. Sounds fantastic no matter the volume.
The magtech power supply’s voltage is regulated and it puts out 900W into 4 ohns which is probably enough even if you prefer to listen with double hearing protection.
Maybe I’ll change my tune with more experience, but I’m a big thumbs down on the “musical amp with no power” concept.
