Can XPA-2 drive Magnepan 3.7 ?

[litozacky]

I have plans to buy Mag 3.7 and pair it with XPA-2. Currently I have a pair of Polk Lsi 15 being driven by the XPA-2 and I'm totally happy with its power. Do I need more juice for the Magnepan?

Another question on a different topic; When I bought my seaton submersive hp subwoofer, it came with an xlr-rca cable and plugging the rca end into my AVR sub output was a challenge. The RCA end was simply too tight. Recently I unplugged that rca cable to move things around, and after plugging the cable back in, the subwoofer is not receiving signal anymore. Either I mess up the wire (which i think is highly unlikely) or I broke the sub output on the AVR. Is it a common thing to break a rca connection on the inside? It's confirmed, the output connection on the AVR is broken, even the left/right channel is kinda broken as well.

Thanks in advance.

[Gary Cook]

Why don't you ask Magnepan, OH that's right even they don't know..................from the Magnepan FAQ.

How much power do I need?

We are asked this question every single day. We wish that we could be of more help, but individual tastes vary. If someone tells you that you need an amplifier with ___ watts, how can they be so sure if they are not listening with you in your room?

You can get a lot of free advice in the chat rooms on the internet. Most of it is of very little value (or misleading). Often, their power recommendations are influenced by their listening habits and room conditions. If they have a strong opinion of what you need for power, take it with a grain of salt.

Personal tastes are “all over the map”. We hear of customers that are perfectly happy with 50 watts and others using 1000 watts. Without the option of listening with you, we have no way to give meaningful advice. The most reliable way to answer this question for your particular needs is by visiting a dealer or arranging to hear a pair of Magneplanars. If you listen to your music at your normal volume, in a room that is approximately the same size as your room, with an amplifier similar to what you plan to use, an accurate power requirement can be determined for your listening habits. This is a lot to ask, but it is the only reliable method of determining the power needs for a specific individual.

There is a persistent impression that the larger Maggies require more power. It is true that most customers with the more expensive models have more powerful amplifiers. But, the popular assumption is not correct. They typically have a larger budget. If and when you upgrade your electronics is a separate decision.

Personally I heard the 3.7's locally in late 2011, amply powered by, if I remember rightly, a pair of McIntosh 2301's, which BTW I would rate lower than an XPA-2, in both power and sound quality (that'll get the McIntosh fan boys all upset)


Cheers
Gary

[pdaddy]

Yes it can!

[mshump]

Yes, The XPA-2 should drive them (at resonable levels) with no problem

[ryuspeed]

It all depends on how loud you want to play them. They are fairly inefficient speakers and so require more power to get to the same loudness as a more efficient speaker. Your Polks look like they're rated at 88db and the 3.7s are rated at 86db, they both look to be 4 ohm. Given that, sitting 1 meter away they will both play very close to the threshold of discomfort at full volume (assuming you don't blow a fuse). But if you're sitting farther away or have an odd sized room, etc., etc., that all plays into it.

So short answer, you'll probably be just fine but the only way to know for sure is to play them in your room, with your music, and volume levels you like.

[audiobill]

I have Maggie 1.7's...the XPA 2 will work great, and IMO is the optimal Emo amp for these.

[melm]

I have 3.6r Maggies, which are similar. They sound great (and loud) with my XPA2, although I also have them teamed with a PSA sub, but even direct with no sub they sound better than they ever have. Used to power them with Adcom amps, and the difference is striking with the XPA2.

Mel

[pedrocols]

Mar 17, 2014 1:19:20 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Why don't you ask Magnepan, OH that's right even they don't know..................from the Magnepan FAQ.

How much power do I need?

We are asked this question every single day. We wish that we could be of more help, but individual tastes vary. If someone tells you that you need an amplifier with ___ watts, how can they be so sure if they are not listening with you in your room?

You can get a lot of free advice in the chat rooms on the internet. Most of it is of very little value (or misleading). Often, their power recommendations are influenced by their listening habits and room conditions. If they have a strong opinion of what you need for power, take it with a grain of salt.

Personal tastes are “all over the map”. We hear of customers that are perfectly happy with 50 watts and others using 1000 watts. Without the option of listening with you, we have no way to give meaningful advice. The most reliable way to answer this question for your particular needs is by visiting a dealer or arranging to hear a pair of Magneplanars. If you listen to your music at your normal volume, in a room that is approximately the same size as your room, with an amplifier similar to what you plan to use, an accurate power requirement can be determined for your listening habits. This is a lot to ask, but it is the only reliable method of determining the power needs for a specific individual.

There is a persistent impression that the larger Maggies require more power. It is true that most customers with the more expensive models have more powerful amplifiers. But, the popular assumption is not correct. They typically have a larger budget. If and when you upgrade your electronics is a separate decision.

Personally I heard the 3.7's locally in late 2011, amply powered by, if I remember rightly, a pair of McIntosh 2301's, which BTW I would rate lower than an XPA-2, in both power and sound quality (that'll get the McIntosh fan boys all upset)


Cheers
Gary

So you don't remember what kind of McIntosh amp and comparing from a listening session dated three years ago? Huh! Does not sound like a very reliable assessment to my ears.

[Jack]

I have an XPA-2 driving a pair of Maggie 3.7's. They are a great pairing as far as I am concerned. I have had them painfully loud without seeing any red lights on the display. I think you will be very pleased with the XPA-2 and the 3.7's!

[Andrew Robinson]

For Magnepan 3.7s I would recommend using only the following Emotiva amplifiers:

(Listed best to worst, based on 1st hand testing)

1. XPR-1
2. XPA-1 Gen 2
3. XPR-2
4. XPA-2

All of the above amps WILL work, but if you wish to know which will work better than others look to the top of the list.

[novisnick]

Mar 17, 2014 11:35:32 GMT -5 Andrew Robinson said:

For Magnepan 3.7s I would recommend using only the following Emotiva amplifiers:

(Listed best to worst, based on 1st hand testing)

1. XPR-1
2. XPA-1 Gen 2
3. XPR-2
4. XPA-2

All of the above amps WILL work, but if you wish to know which will work better than others look to the top of the list.

And there you have it boys and girls,,,,,,,,,XPR-1 at the top of Andrew's list
I concur! 

[Andrew Robinson]

Mar 17, 2014 11:41:36 GMT -5 novisnick said:

Mar 17, 2014 11:35:32 GMT -5 Andrew Robinson said:

For Magnepan 3.7s I would recommend using only the following Emotiva amplifiers:

(Listed best to worst, based on 1st hand testing)

1. XPR-1
2. XPA-1 Gen 2
3. XPR-2
4. XPA-2

All of the above amps WILL work, but if you wish to know which will work better than others look to the top of the list.

And ther you have it boys and girls,,,,,,,,,XPR-1 at the top of Andrew's list
I concur! 

For Magnepans yes, the XPR amps are at the top of my list. If you're rockin' something like Polks or whatnot, they wouldn't be my go to choice in that instance. Basically, look at your speaker's needs and pick the right amp accordingly. Magnepans NEED a lot of juice, which the XPR amps supply, however, my Pendragons do not, in which case an XPR amp would be foolish. 

[novisnick]

Again, I concur!
I do try a lot of different speakers so I would hate to blame the amp on my opinion of them.

[litozacky]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm not picky I just wanted to know if the XPA-2 would be perfectly fine. I'm glad that it is because I won't be able to get a different amp otherwise. The magnepan will take up all my savings.

[litozacky]

It's confirmed, the connection on the AVR is broken. It's unfortunate. Boggles my mind why there is even such a tight RCA connection, so tight up to the point where I would very likely be able to yank the connection straight out when pulling out the wire unless I wiggle it. Even the left/right output connections are losing signals now too.

[Gary Cook]

Mar 17, 2014 11:08:20 GMT -5 pedrocols said:

Mar 17, 2014 1:19:20 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Why don't you ask Magnepan, OH that's right even they don't know..................from the Magnepan FAQ. Personally I heard the 3.7's locally in late 2011, amply powered by, if I remember rightly, a pair of McIntosh 2301's, which BTW I would rate lower than an XPA-2, in both power and sound quality (that'll get the McIntosh fan boys all upset)

So you don't remember what kind of McIntosh amp and comparing from a listening session dated three years ago? Huh! Does not sound like a very reliable assessment to my ears.

I rate the 2301 lower than the XPA-2 based on many more listens than just with 3.7's. Obviously this thread was about 3.7's and their power requirements not 2301's specifically. But if you want a critique of 2301's I'm more than willing to do it, but I suspect that this isn't an appropriate thread.


Cheers
Gary

[bootman]

Mar 17, 2014 16:41:42 GMT -5 litozacky said:

It's confirmed, the connection on the AVR is broken. It's unfortunate. Boggles my mind why there is even such a tight RCA connection, so tight up to the point where I would very likely be able to yank the connection straight out when pulling out the wire unless I wiggle it. Even the left/right output connections are losing signals now too.

Did you post in the right thread?

[pedrocols]

Mar 17, 2014 17:45:16 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Mar 17, 2014 11:08:20 GMT -5 pedrocols said:

So you don't remember what kind of McIntosh amp and comparing from a listening session dated three years ago? Huh! Does not sound like a very reliable assessment to my ears.

I rate the 2301 lower than the XPA-2 based on many more listens than just with 3.7's. Obviously this thread was about 3.7's and their power requirements not 2301's specifically. But if you want a critique of 2301's I'm more than willing to do it, but I suspect that this isn't an appropriate thread.


Cheers
Gary

I understand and thank you. I appreciate your willingness but like you said this is not the appropriate thread.

[jackfish]

Undoubtedly does no good now, but I would have dumped the Pioneer VSX-9040 long before replacing Polk LSi15s with Magnepan 3.7s.

[billforesman]

Has anyone considered adding to more amp cards in the XPA2 Gen 3 and biamp in the same chassis?

I have 3.7R's and wondered if this would be worth doing?

I've spoken to Emotiva sales several times and several of the guys have said the XPA2 is THE amp for the 3.7's and that was about all they could recommend...