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Amp s to drive JM Lab Diva Utopia Be

Hi Folks:
I'm enjoying a newly acquired pair of Diva Utopia Be speakers. I'm wondering what are some good amp choices for these speakers? I'm currently using a pair of KR tube amps that provide about 28wpc. I like the sound a lot but am wondering if I need to take the plunge and get some serious solid state power, or whether I have what it takes with my KR amps. Contenders I've considered include YBA 1 (or maybe YBA 2?), Pass Labs 350.5 or Parasound JC1 monos, Bryston 4bsst, or stick with tubes but get some more serious push-pull power from Canary Audio, BAT, Cary or some other..

Anyway, I'd welcome advice. I'm used a few other speakers but main set of speakers I've used for the last few years were AP Virgo II. I found the upgrade from the Virgo to the Diva to be surprisingly small, but I do hear it. The Divas certainly have more bottem-end extension, a wider sweet-spot, and overall have more weight and presence, but the Virgos did have pinpoint imaging that really did make them disappear - I sort of miss that strange effect.

Thanks in advance or amp recommendations.
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Showing 2 responses by aball

aball
2,016 posts
 
I personally wouldn't choose NuForce amps for Divas because the Divas will expose their weaknesses. The European press disliked the NuForces very much saying they weren't very smooth and the Divas won't like that at all.

I would use a Unison Research SE, Pathos would be good too, McIntosh works great, YBA for sure, Plinius would be a good match, etc. There are many excellent choices.
aball
2,016 posts
 
Plato - HiFi+ magazine, issue 42, Reference 9 monoblocks. But maybe the 9SEs are completely different.
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