It seems that you have a goal or at least a direction but you're enjoying the auditioning. That's the hobby up until your taste narrows and you become goal orientated and that's the hobby too. So, good for you.
I've auditioned many amplifiers in my system, this is a list of amplifiers I've actually owned and lived with: Marantz 8Bs, highly modified Cerwin-Vega A-1800, GAS Ampzilla, Phase Linear 400, MFA D75, Ayre V3, Ayre V-1/xe, PS Audio HCA-2, NuForce 9SEs v1/v3, Hypex NC400s, Bob Carver VTA 180s.
I won't get into my personally subjective tastes of each amplifier in the list above driving my ceramic Eidolons. My goal eventually became to find an amplifier with the presentation of the Marantz 8Bs but with enough power to drive the Eidolons in a largish room to satisfying levels.
I'm a 64 year old Bass player. You'll notice from my list that I held great promise for both linear and switching solid state amplifiers, the reason is not important.
Since no amplifier does it all their have been some stand outs that I've heard in my system. Ayre, Rowland Model 8, (definitely try the 6/724), Atma Sphere MA-1, Sanders Magtech (free trial and stunningly underrated).
Currently I'm rolling tubes in the Carvers and things are just getting better and better. The Carvers seem to have a similar tone of the 8Bs yet with enough control and power to drive the Eidolons to my satisfaction.
I am also using the Hypex amps to power the Avalon Monitors in my studio. The $1300. Hypex amplifiers actually do more than any other amplifier I've used to date and are simply ruthless in the studio. Personally, I'm more comfortable with second harmonic distortions of tube amps for entertaining listening in my main system.
I have yet to hear a truly full range passive speaker so I supplement with two Velodyne DD-12+.
["Thanks for the mail, and glad you like the Eidolons. I still think they are amazing, and expect to continue to sell their current iteration.
My first experience with tubes and Eidolons was with Audio Research 100's. Clearly not enough power to have the full bloom of the capability of the Eidolons, but, there was still enough info to let me know that with a bit more power there would be some very nice results. Indeed, I later heard them with both the AR 300, and later the 600. These are both super amps, and priced accordingly, but in the interest of letting you know that it will work, I give you those examples. On the other extreme, if you can find a small tube amp, called the RM9, RM10, or RM2000. These little tube amps are quite extraordinary. Probably on the
low end of power requirements, and admittedly I have not heard them with Eidolons, but many years ago I lusted for the RM9 for myself. The company is very small, but passionate, and is still in existence, and I believe in California. Also, a bit more mainstream, is VTL, also a California based company, with a variety of 'affordable' mono and stereo tube gear. We shared a room with them at the recent Audiofest show in Denver in early October. Always a good match, and we share a number of dealers and distributors around the world. David Berning also makes a few very good amplifiers. We used their amps at CES a lifetime ago, and never forgot that sound, and now people have started to tell us how good the combination still is.
Lucien Pichette
On Nov 24, 2009"]
I've auditioned many amplifiers in my system, this is a list of amplifiers I've actually owned and lived with: Marantz 8Bs, highly modified Cerwin-Vega A-1800, GAS Ampzilla, Phase Linear 400, MFA D75, Ayre V3, Ayre V-1/xe, PS Audio HCA-2, NuForce 9SEs v1/v3, Hypex NC400s, Bob Carver VTA 180s.
I won't get into my personally subjective tastes of each amplifier in the list above driving my ceramic Eidolons. My goal eventually became to find an amplifier with the presentation of the Marantz 8Bs but with enough power to drive the Eidolons in a largish room to satisfying levels.
I'm a 64 year old Bass player. You'll notice from my list that I held great promise for both linear and switching solid state amplifiers, the reason is not important.
Since no amplifier does it all their have been some stand outs that I've heard in my system. Ayre, Rowland Model 8, (definitely try the 6/724), Atma Sphere MA-1, Sanders Magtech (free trial and stunningly underrated).
Currently I'm rolling tubes in the Carvers and things are just getting better and better. The Carvers seem to have a similar tone of the 8Bs yet with enough control and power to drive the Eidolons to my satisfaction.
I am also using the Hypex amps to power the Avalon Monitors in my studio. The $1300. Hypex amplifiers actually do more than any other amplifier I've used to date and are simply ruthless in the studio. Personally, I'm more comfortable with second harmonic distortions of tube amps for entertaining listening in my main system.
I have yet to hear a truly full range passive speaker so I supplement with two Velodyne DD-12+.
["Thanks for the mail, and glad you like the Eidolons. I still think they are amazing, and expect to continue to sell their current iteration.
My first experience with tubes and Eidolons was with Audio Research 100's. Clearly not enough power to have the full bloom of the capability of the Eidolons, but, there was still enough info to let me know that with a bit more power there would be some very nice results. Indeed, I later heard them with both the AR 300, and later the 600. These are both super amps, and priced accordingly, but in the interest of letting you know that it will work, I give you those examples. On the other extreme, if you can find a small tube amp, called the RM9, RM10, or RM2000. These little tube amps are quite extraordinary. Probably on the
low end of power requirements, and admittedly I have not heard them with Eidolons, but many years ago I lusted for the RM9 for myself. The company is very small, but passionate, and is still in existence, and I believe in California. Also, a bit more mainstream, is VTL, also a California based company, with a variety of 'affordable' mono and stereo tube gear. We shared a room with them at the recent Audiofest show in Denver in early October. Always a good match, and we share a number of dealers and distributors around the world. David Berning also makes a few very good amplifiers. We used their amps at CES a lifetime ago, and never forgot that sound, and now people have started to tell us how good the combination still is.
Lucien Pichette
On Nov 24, 2009"]