On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 15:22:35 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

jps wrote:

If I remember properly, didn't you have electrostatic speakers? Someone
might have some advice on which receiver/amp would match up well.

jps

I have a pair of Magnepans, plus a powered subwoofer. I've been powering
them with a Yamaha receiver, which has worked out very well, but the
stereo my wife uses is in the family room, and the amp there just died
and is too old to fix. So, I'm giving my wife the Yamaha I have now, and
unless I change my mind, I'll be getting a new Yamaha RX-797 later this
month. It's two-channel stereo, with a subwoofer port.

The mags need an amp that is more capable than the Yamaha you've been
using. They are very inefficient, and also present a low impedance
load to an amp. To get decent dynamic range even at moderate
listening levels, you need a serious amp.

Aragon makes (or used to make) some very good amps that are capable of
driving Magnepans. You really need to go with a "seperates" approach
to get the most from the mags... an amp, pre-amp, etc. No receiver.
You can probably find a pre-amp/tuner combo that has a sub output for
your self-powered one. Just don't cheap out on the amp.

Find a high-end audio store and ask some questions. If you're lucky,
you'll find a saleperson that is knowledgable and will steer you
toward the right equipment. Let them know about the Mags... it makes
a difference. Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeters, etc... don't have a
clue.

Jack