I am beginning a slow process of building a music system disguised as a home theater. I, personally, find nothing more enjoyable than relaxing with a glass of wine and listening to good music. (acoustic guitar, jazz piano, female vocals) every step I take toward high-end audio pushes my reference of what good music is even further. I have introduced my wife to this world but she doesn't share my passion. But she loves watching DVD's so a compromise was reached. Realizing I will probrably never be finished upgrading components to achieve better and better sound, I've got to start somewhere. I love the sound so far, and will only like it better as I replace mass-market components with more musical ones. It doesn't matter how much money you spend if the music doesn't move you. Right now I'm alive in ignorant bliss.
Hi Genem, B&K is okay, I have one collecting dust that I bought new years ago. Bryston may sound horrid with your speakers, Brystons are bright amps and the last time I heard them with Maggies I could not even listen for more than a minute.... If they sound ok, then I would highly recommend buying a used Moscode 600. You can tube roll to tune in your system, and it can really drive difficult loads, but like Brystons, Robertsons, and others, it is a bright amp, it's not for all speakers. I have 2 and can not imagine selling either of them, which makes them a little hard to find, but they show up from time to time. Lou
AMPS!. Off to a good start, I have had the Maggies and they worked well with tube and ss amps, if you need to stay in the Multi-channel land, look at Parasound. High quality and great value. You also might try a dedicated stereo amp for your listening and add a three channel amp for the 5.1 surround sound. Try different amps to see if you can get the sound you want from the maggies; I bought a pair from a chap who complained that there was "no bass" I used an RM-9 tube amp w/ old tubes and got plenty of bass (Ricky L. Jones, Pop Pop track 1!), so audition what you can.
Genem: I will agree with all the above on the amp issue. It will make a major differance in your system. I bought a Sherbourn 5/1500 amp which the owner came from Mcintosh. The amp is five mono amps in one chasis and is awesome. The amp is 5x200 in 8 ohms and 5x300 in 4 ohms, retail is only $2000. it also weighs a hefty 80#. I saw it on Audiogon for a real good price like $1400. Be patient and buy it for what you want to pay for it. Good Luck and have fun, that's what is all about.
Thanks for the input. The amp was going to be my second upgrade but it seems I need to reverse my plan. Have heard B&K but not Bryston yet. Will let you know my results. Happy listening.
Definitely the Amp. Say goodbye to your friends at Sony, and never look back. Getting an MSB Link DAC3, and using it for CD's through the optical coaxial, and using analong or Toslink (yikes!) out for DVD's would be a big help too, and a great compromise.
I think you're off to a solid start. I would change my amplifier. The new Anthem MCA-5 would drive those speakers much better and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.It's actually a baby Bryston. The inter-connects would have to go as well. This is an even more controversial issue than amplifiers, sad to say. However, at their price point the Goertz Alpha-Core cables and interconnects would be a substantial upgrade over what you're using. And they can be found at significant savings here on Audiogon. Best of luck and welcome to the madness!
You may be best staying in the ignorant bliss. If you are happy, that's all that matters. If you do look to upgrade, I would recommend the amps ahead of the subwoofer. I think that would make the biggest improvement. If you're happy though, leave it alone and enjoy the music.
