I’m planning to drive Magnepan LRS+ speakers with an Emotiva BasX A2+ stereo amplifier (rated at 250 W per channel into 4 Ω). Has anyone used this amp with the LRS+? How does this combination perform in terms of dynamics, control, and overall sound quality?
Do you also have a subwoofer?
Yes, a stereo pair of REL 8" subs
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A couple weeks back I bought a set of 1.7 Maggies from a guy who was powering them with an Emotive processor and an Emotive amp. They are a bigger version than the LRS+ but I think they provide a similar challenge to power with the low impedance. While they are listed as a 4ohm nominal load, the 1.7 drop to 2 ohms at times and I would not be shocked if the LRS+ did as well. I think that it was likely the same amp as it looked pretty beefy, but I can’t say for sure. I did listen to them for two songs to make sure they were not any issues with the speakers, so I’m not exactly an expert here. However, the prior owner was happy with the setup and with the 1.7s. In fact, he moved up to the 3.7i which he was also running of the same amp and tried to convince me to get some Emotive gear of my own to power them. The amp was powering the 1.7s to volumes above what I normally listen at. However, I felt it was missing out on micro details and resonances. You would hear the lead guitar stand out like you would expect, but when it did, the other sounds faded seemed to fade to me. I’m not familiar with this persons system, the speakers, etc. but to me it felt like it was not giving me everything I was expecting.
Maggies are supposed to be very fast speakers with their panels but this was my first time hearing any. I thought the resolution and harmonics would really stand out, but they did not in this system. I’m not sure my assessment is correct, but it felt like everything was going into whatever the leading note was, but the other info was not as present. I would imagine the SPL meter would say it was giving us the db we would expect for that leading note, but I would also guess the other info was low. Again, I’d like to state I’m not an expect on the gear that was being played and I only heard two songs, but it did not make me want to go out and buy a matching amp of my own. To contrast this, I feel like I remember seeing Paul of PS Audio say he ran an Emotive processor at home and that he loved the company for what they are.
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Have you looked at amps at The Music Room (tmraudio.com)?
I have a Levinson 5302 amp with my LRS+, and they seem to match well together, but the Levinson 534 is a much better amp and drives the LRS+ much better than the 125 watts into 8 250 into 4 5302 amp.
I asked about TMR as they have some older, but powerful amps for sale.
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Yes, TMR is a daily stop for me and I have done quite a bit of business with them. Asking about the Emotiva amp because of the current price for a new unit. Very affordable at just under $800, enough so its probably worth trying.
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I’ve heard Maggies sound as you describe and it normally comes down to placement. They are very picky on that, but when you hit the spot its magic.
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OK, so I picked up an Emotiva BasX A2+ amplifier just to give it a try. It only has a few hours on it so far, but it already sounds better than any other amp I’ve auditioned in its price range—and honestly, it’s punching several levels above that.
It’s driving the Magnepan LRS+ with more authority and clarity than anything I’ve tried to date. There’s a real sense of control and openness that I wasn’t expecting at this level.
I’d say it shows genuine promise, especially at under $800 delivered. Very impressive Emotiva. We’ll see how things develop as it gets more break-in time and I continue refining the setup. 
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