Because of cost? low bass restitution?
A pair of M1200’s are a safe choice. Tube input stage with one small tube per monoblock amp, solid state output stage and a capability of putting out plenty of power, if needed.
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And your Maggie’s are 4 ohm. Knowing the power at 4 ohm vs 16 may tell you something about the power supply in the audio research amp. The Maggie floats around 3 ohm at different frequencies but is pretty flat. And they are quite inefficient. The point of more power is headroom - not playing full bore. Instantaneous peaks and crescendos in your classical is where this will help out.
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Ok got the answer. It outputs 600 watts into 4/8/16 ohm. Those things are beasts. As everyone says - lots of tubes. Personally I would really like to listen to that unless you have read up enough in reviews and feel good w the synergy of that and your 20.7. They sticker it seems for 20k each. So if the price is great hmm. Guessing it would warm up your room as it idles at a fairly high wattage. But I like that. 
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If u haven’t read this…do so. Audio Research 610T Monoblock Power Amplifier - The Absolute Sound
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I’m using a Pass x250.8 to power my new 3.7x Maggies.DS MKII feeds the BHK preamp into the Pass amp. Very,very sweet. A perfect match.
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If you consult the Magnepan website you will see that the 86dB sensitivity is given for 2.83 Volts. Since this is a 4 ohm speaker, 2.83 volts corresponds to a 2 watt input. For 1 watt input the sensitivity would be 83dB. Some folks think it may actually be a bit lower than 83.
I rather doubt you should look at the max SPL in the graph as a “target” chosen based on the max SPL you wish to hear. The SPL is at a distance of one meter and will be reduced at greater listening distances. Also, the SPL measured by any microphone is averaged over a finite window of time, and such measurement can mask higher SPL peaks for shorter time intervals. This is why the amplifier needs “head room” to handle those peaks.
Like others I was surprised you have been satisfied listening to orchestral/organ music with a 40 watt amp. However, it may be that your amp is 40 watts into 8 ohms, but can deliver 80 watts into 4 ohms; it may also be conservatively rated so it can handle higher peaks.
I power my 20.7 with Parasound JC1 monoblocks, specified as providing up to 800 watts RMS for 4 ohms. They sound really fine. I also own tube mono blocks (Carver Black Beauty) specified as 300 watts, and I have used them very happily with my Magnepans for months at a time. They sounded beautiful on chamber music, but were a bit challenged by the peaks of some orchestral music and opera. I have decided to keep the Parasounds as my amp of choice for the Magnepans.
I also own a Magtech stereo power amp, specified similarly to the Parasound. The Magtech is fully adequate to meet your criteria, but is not as beguiling in sound.
I have tested other solid state power amps from NAD and SPL, each rated at around 400 watts. They were good matches for the Magnepans but not as nice to my ears as the Parasounds. My dealer demoed the 20.7 using a Hegel integrated stereo, and it was I think nearly as nice as my Parasounds. Unfortunately I don’t remember the Hegel model number. I bet the Hegel 390 would serve your needs.
The integrated amps from Hegel and many other manufacturers nowadays include a DAC and sometimes even streaming. It sounds to me like you might appreciate these added bonuses.
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That right there _______________________________________^
I am never enough with readings reviews and advice! I am a but puzzled because I am rather satisfied with what I own, but I try to improve the hifi system and get better sound… And sometimes by doing so, we are deluded, even by paying a lot…
Thank you for the link. Actually I had already red this review, which is most motivating for these ARC amps.
Thank you for your comments on the SPL. I was using this graph to compare relative sound power, not to get an absolute idea of the power felt.
Concerning my ETALON amplifier and its characteristics: in fact it’s very difficult to talk about it, because there’s a lot of mystery surrounding these electronics. Is this Hungarian brand known outside Europe?
I’ve read many forums, heard from music lovers and experts, and all converge in saying that the manufacturer is a sort of artisan-magician who wants the wiring diagram to remain hidden. Even for a model that looks identical on paper, it’s hard to find two devices that look exactly alike. It’s a mess! The reputation is that only the manufacturer, who doesn’t always have the wiring diagrams, is able to repair, if he can remember how he put the components together. In early amplifiers, component references were scratched off to erase them!
What is fairly certain, for this generation of device, is that it would be a 2*25W but in high current, with 120000 uf capacitors. This would explain in part why the device can deliver high instantaneous power, and great dynamics. Hard as it may be to believe and understand, it can drive loudspeakers under 4 ohms thanks to a very high amperage. For example, in addition to Magnepan, I’ve read that it can also tame PROAC RESPONSE THREE, even though their output isn’t very high (88db/8ohms).
Its main asset is not power, but transparency and fluidity. I used to connect it to a TECHNICS SH-X1000 (which has aged a little, admittedly; the sound isn’t so clean any more), and the results were extraordinary in terms of transparency. From one record to the next, you could hear the slightest difference in the room/church where the recording was made. The sensation of space was astounding. You could hear the air around the instruments, the sound of sheet music pages being turned.
If I change my amplifier for a tube model, even a high-end one, I’m afraid I’ll never find this transparency again.
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I don’t know whether, like Tannhauser, you have been sleeping with a goddess, or if, like Faust, you have made a pact with a Hungarian devil, but I predict that your return to ordinary amplifier life will not be easy.
Audio Research makes great tube amps and back in the day they also had a whiff of magic, but never I think the black magic you are describing. Tube amps can be ornery and expensive to maintain, but many of us have good luck with them and if they fail they can be repaired. Some brands of solid state amps , like the Parasounds, are even more reliable.
I hope for your sake you don’t have to turn in your ETALON to obtain a new amp. I imagine you will always want to return to it for what it alone provides.
Thank you for your humor, which I appreciate. Actually, that would be option 2. This rather eccentric craftsman had worked for Deutsche Grammophon, Bruel&Kjaer.
His amplifiers have an almost legendary status. The problem is more one of maintenance. Sales service is as complicated as it is random, even capricious and prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, I’ve never had a problem with my amplifier in 25 years.
In fact, when I was a student, I had saved up to buy my first ETALON model, which cost more than a month’s average salary. I was so delighted that three months later I bought (with credit from my bank) an upper model, which cost three times as much. I use it since… 25 years.
There are very few of these on the second-hand market. I think the owners want to carry them in their coffins.
Even if I buy a new amplifier, I’ll keep the ETALON. I know a few owners who sold it when they changed their system, and they bitterly regretted it.
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