cary v12 / gershman avande garde

i own a pair of cary slm-200 monos and gershman avant gardes. the pairing is magic to my ears. i don't find the speakers to be mellow. they're very detailed in my opinion. i've used the treble boost before but i find myself always going back to the off position. i listen to everything from kmfdm and nin to srv and pj harvey. i could use a little extra low end extension for the hardcore metal (lamb of god, slipknot...), but the bass is still very deep and tight. i think you'll enjoy the pairing. i'm currently using a 47 labs shigaraki transport / dac and am awaiting a supratek chardonnay.

i can't speak for the reference 3a speakers and i've never heard the sim audio w5. the gershman's are a very detailed and dynamic speaker. my cary's are 130 watts in triode as opposed to the 50 watts triode (switchable to 100 watts ultralinear) of the v12. have you tried contacting gershman directly? ofra is very informative and she would be able to tell you which was the better amp if you went with the avant gardes. i would definitely buy the v12 if i were in your shoes (but i'd also buy another v12 to run them as 100 watt triode monoblocks). the gershman's love power and they're not afraid to show it. good luck in your hunt. let us know how it turns out.