Very nice pairing, the hegel amps are known to be good matches with the lrs as well 
There are a few…but not many. And they’re not cheap. What’s your budget?
maybe this?
That might be a solid pick if you decide to go with some kt88 tubes to swap the el34 with imo since that would give you more power and control with the maggies
That’s what I was going to suggest as well. But the OP never mentioned a budget so I didn’t bother.
I mean cheaper than that you might be able to find some older carys or a line magnetic, but for the most part going lower than that isn’t going to yield satisfactory results imo
1 Like
Thoughts on the Audio Research VT100 Mk iii w/ Sovtek 6550 (matched) tubes being paired with the Maggie LRS? I have local listing @ $2400 OBO which seems to be priced well after wiggle room.
I’m considering selling my Hegel to a friend who’s interesting and trying out a tube just not sure what to think about AR and if it would be a good pairing with Maggies.
Ooo that would be pretty sweet imo, I personally think that would go well based off hearing other magnipans with audio research gear, honestly it might be worth imo. You have a preamp for it?
Nope I would have to purchase a Dac and Preamp…
You could save some money by getting a dac with volume control, but for the time being you would have to get a passive volume control
Slightly off topic but once you do speaker things are the speakers less of an emphasis of where money should be spent and instead money being budgeted more towards the path leading up to them?
I know with headphones the actual cans are the big budget item, as long as you can push them amp wise.
Pretty dependant on the speakers imo. Generally it’s still speakers first, but once you find a speaker you really like (that’s reasonably high preforming) I don’t think it’s a bad thing to really pump up your source gear. But again depends on the setup
For me there really is no benefit is spending more money on going up the Maggie lineup as I’ve heard the 0.7s and 1.7s and for my room size would not provide much of any meaningful improvement. If I had a larger open listening room then my case would be different.
For me the Hegel H160 is a good enough integrated amp/dac to start but my setup would likely benefit from a dedicated DAC (Holo Spring KTE) and nice tube amp. I got my H160 from a dealer for $1500 but I will need to spend $2,000 - $3,000 on DAC + $2500 - $3500 on a tube amp + $1500 on a pre amp.
So going from a $1.5k ~ $6k+ will yield an improvement but I’m not expecting it to be life changing as I’m quite happy with my current setup.
So are we talking no go on the new xlr style crowns or the old 90s style ps400 mono etc.
Mostly the modern and the more budget older crown amps, there are some higher quality crowns like the aforementioned ps400 or the studio reference 2, K2 and psa 2 that are decent, but otherwise the older crowns aren’t really that great with them either imo.
1 Like
Awesome, I think my dad may like these more than the L7, but we shall see, I will suggest he looks closer at these. 
Wanted to get advice… I have a friend that wants to buy my Hegel H160 for what I bought it for ($1500). I’m interested in getting into tubes but want to keep a SS option as well.
I can get these for $500 or just under with some negotiating.
ADCOM GTP-500 II PreAmp + ADCOM GFA-555 II AMPLIFIER
Then I was planning to use the leftovers to buy a doge 10 integrated tube amp.
My primary question is would the GFA 550 II be a side step or downgrade in the amp stage compared with Hegel?
I will be using the Hegel or Adcom to power the LRS and 1266 Phi tc via lqi speaker taps to xlr cable.
Is the GTP 500 an acceptable pre or do I really need to spend up for more here?
Initial thoughts on the doge with PSVane KT88s?
The Adcom will be a downgrade. Not because it’s a bad amp but due to its age. Also I’m not sure the 555 II is as good as the Nelson Pass designed original 555. You’ll probably need to spend money to replace the caps. I see Thomas enticed you to buy a Doge. I almost did the same lol.
1 Like
thanks! yeah I can’t go backwards on the SS amp side so no go on the Adcom. Yes Tubes are my next big ticket item with eventual goal to get something from Arc
Like this: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649347120-audio-research-vt-200-mk-ii-amplifier/
But the Doge is clearly on my radar as I previously was looking at the Prima Luna Dialogue but the Doge is supposedly better. I’ll wait to see Thomas’ full review and he commented back that he would test it with his LRS to comment on synergy.
1 Like
I see Thomas enticed you to buy a Doge. I almost did the same lol.
1 Like