Read your post on Mike Lavigne's system. Congrats on the retirement and moving to beautiful Colorado.
I recently completed an addition containing a media room and can highly recommend Nyal Mellor (Acoustic Frontiers). Nyal designed a "floating" wall system for my room, measured the room when construction was complete, and then specified the interior wall acoustic panels. The last acoustic panels from RPG are to be shipped this month.
Carver Black Beauty 305 monoblocks. Six KT 120's per side for about 350 watts into the 4 ohm 20.7's. Only tube amps that I have run across yet that can truly drive the 20's without any strain. These ARE the tube amps for Magnepans! Very, very happy with these amps so far!
I understand you are going to upgrade your turntable, but you didn't mention if you are going to keep the Dynavector 507 MK II.
The XV-1S is a cartridge I have longed for, simply can't afford it, but I'd love to have one. I'm using an earlier DV 501 arm with a Soundsmith-retipped XX2MKII on a Garrard 401. Phono preamp is a Modwright SWP 9.0 SE, with upgraded power supply.
So, I have an inkling of what your analog front end sounds like, therefore I know you are enjoying some very special listening sessions.
Enjoy your new Maggie 20.7's, and congrats on a fine system.
Got my 20.7s 4 weeks ago. I am using a Modwright KW150 directly driven by my DCS Purcell/Elgar. I plan on building my system over the next couple of years. It came down to Sashas or Magico Q5. I made the mistake of listening to a pair of 3.7s and it was simply magic. I was connected to the music in a way I did not think possible. I have only scratched the surface of what the 20.7s can do and yet it is so amazing that I could make no changes and never look back. A pre-amp is a next, so I can get my vinyl up and running. My final amp is going to be the hardest choice. My last set of planers were reworked Apogee Divas and I simply did not want to use big tube amps and found the Divas just not to my liking with solid state. The 20.7s present a fleshed out midrange with the KWA150 . Love tubes but tired of the 40 year hassle of keeping them running.Time will tell.
System edited: Fell in love with the Magnepan 3.6's which I have used for the last three years. Made the mistake of hearing the new 20.7's at the factory in White Bear Lake; the 20's sounded awesome...Ordered a set in early June.
JPS, appreciate the offer but I want to audition the SuperConductors before I buy (comparing them directly against the Kubala Sosna) and I want to keep the runs as short as possible, only need about six feet.
Congrats, the rack looks fantastic and I'm sure sounds even better. Mapleshade is on my wish list. I'd be curious to know what difference you find with the TT on the regular top shelf vs the extra thick one with the iso blocks as in your photo.
I have an Aries 3 / JMW 10.5i tonearm and recently upgraded to a Dynavector XV-1s from a 20XL. The difference was huge. One of the most impressive upgrades I have ever done. The XV-1s has incredible black backgrounds, super smooth mids, with fantastic detail of both ambient space and instruments. Bass is tuneful and impactful was well. All of these things improved by over 50-75% from the 20XL. Even more interesting, the guy I had mount the cart and break it in was playing it on a Hovland HP-100 too! It was also incredible with that set up. I'm sure the Raven is a great table, but I would think the most bang for your hard-earned buck is the XV-1s. I'll be happy to tell you more of my experience - just email.
