What amplifier does the Magnepan CCRx need?

Pick a speaker and tell us how loud you listen and how big the room is. We work out the power it actually needs, check which amplifiers can safely drive its impedance, and rank 196 amplifiers against it.

Your system

Four questions. Nothing is hidden on price.

Passive speakers only — a powered speaker already has its amplifier inside.
Changes the order only. Nothing is hidden for costing too little or too much.
Magnepan CCRx
Magnepan CCRx
Center Channel
88 dB · 3 ohm
$7,000 a pair
Full specs →
Power needed
32–505 W
per channel, into 3 ohms

To hit 95 dB peaks at 3 m from a pair of Magnepan CCRx, you need at least 32 W a channel. Anything from about 63 W to 505 W a channel is comfortable; past that, more watts stop buying you anything.

Show the working
  • 95 dB target at the seat
  • +4.8 dB for 3.0 m of distance
  • -3 dB for a stereo pair
  • -81.7 dB effective sensitivity
  • 4.3 dB taken off to convert the 3 ohm 2.83V rating to dB per watt
  • 2 dB allowed for optimistic published sensitivity
  • Published sensitivity 88 dB, used as 81.7 dB per watt.

WiiM Vibelink with the Magnepan CCRx

Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 3 ohms, comfortable with a 3 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Full WiiM Vibelink specs · Clear this amp
 
$199 $10,500

7 integrated amplifiers suit the Magnepan CCRx

Also show the 186 we do not recommend
1
Anthem STR
Anthem STR
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 200 W into 8 ohms · $5,000
Excellent match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (200 W to 400 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
2
Mark Levinson No.5802
Mark Levinson No.5802
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 125 W into 8 ohms · $8,500
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
3
Mark Levinson No.5805
Mark Levinson No.5805
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 125 W into 8 ohms · $10,500
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
4
WiiM Vibelink
WiiM Vibelink
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $299
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 3 ohms, comfortable with a 3 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Well below the speakers - leaves money on the table, but nothing wrong with it.
How loud will this pair play? →
5
Devialet Expert 220 Pro
Devialet Expert 220 Pro
Integrated Amplifier · ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid) · 165 W into 8 ohms · $10,000
Good match
7 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 505 W.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file. On a 3 ohm speaker that is the figure that matters, so this one is unproven on the load.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
6
Devialet Expert 140 Pro
Devialet Expert 140 Pro
Integrated Amplifier · ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid) · 105 W into 8 ohms · $6,500
Workable
5 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 505 W.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file. On a 3 ohm speaker that is the figure that matters, so this one is unproven on the load.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
7
ELAC DS-A101-G
ELAC DS-A101-G
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 40 W into 8 ohms · $850
Workable
4 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 505 W.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (40 W to 80 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Well below the speakers - leaves money on the table, but nothing wrong with it.
How loud will this pair play? →

3 power amplifiers that would also drive them

Listed separately because they are not a complete system: a power amplifier has no volume control and no inputs to speak of, so you need a preamplifier or a streaming preamp as well. Worth it if you already own one, or if you want to buy the two halves separately.

1
Anthem STR Power Amplifier
Anthem STR Power Amplifier
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 400 W into 8 ohms · $6,500
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file. On a 3 ohm speaker that is the figure that matters, so this one is unproven on the load.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
2
McIntosh MC152
McIntosh MC152
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 150 W into 8 ohms · $6,500
Good match
7 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 505 W.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file. On a 3 ohm speaker that is the figure that matters, so this one is unproven on the load.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
3
Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2
Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 225 W into 8 ohms · $2,300
Good match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file. On a 3 ohm speaker that is the figure that matters, so this one is unproven on the load.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
How loud will this pair play? →
Were these amplifier recommendations useful?
It helps us tune the matching, and we read every comment.

Sensitivity and impedance figures are the manufacturer's own. We read sensitivity as dB at 2.83 V/1 m and take 2 dB off it, because published figures run high. Treat the result as a well-founded starting point, not a measurement. Full Magnepan CCRx specs.