To Jeff Fritz,
I’ve read a lot of great reviews of the Magico Q7s and hope to hear them one day. I'm wondering about which amps will fit them best. What do you think about the Boulder 3050, Pass Labs Xs 300, Tenor Audio 350M, Constellation Audio Hercules -- or maybe other suggestions -- with, of course, preamps to match? Hope to hear from you.
Kind regards,
Derk Jan Aukema
As of right now, the best amplifier I have ever heard on the Magico Q7s is the Gryphon Audio Designs Mephisto. Of course, you’ll be able to read a lot more about my experiences with this heavyweight combo in my upcoming Mephisto review right here on Ultra Audio. But suffice to say that the Gryphon/Magico marriage is quite something; it would shock many audiophiles to hear its sheer realism. As for preamps, I would think the matching Pandora preamp would be ideal.
As for the other brands and models on your list, I’m sure the Pass Labs amps are extremely good, and there are a number of audiophiles I know who have successfully paired Constellation gear with Magico speakers. Those would be obvious choices when developing a short list of electronics to audition. The Boulder 3000-series products are, in all likelihood, stunning, but it is the reboot of their 2000-series amps that I’m most interested in. The 2050/2060 amplifiers have been around for 20-plus years or thereabouts, so it will be interesting to see how the company improves such a successful product series. So right now, my top choices would revolve around Gryphon and Boulder, and finally Ayre Acoustics at a much lower price point. . . . Jeff Fritz
