SF Extrema,Few q


Hi there,

I read a lot about this speaker ,a lot of people saying its the best speaker ever,but also mention that it really hard to "push" and if i buy it i need very expensive amp and source.
I want to know why it have to be that expensive ,Is there strong AMP that can work good with the EXTREMA without being very expensive (for me >3K its expensive)?
Nuforce,CI Audio and etc arent expensive and i heard they can kick!
Is anybody know how this speaker work with CLASS D ?amplication?I read that tube isn't good for this speaker.

for Those who have/had it:
What do u think about this speaker copmaring new speaker around the 5K?is it good invesment?after all the speaker old (14years).
Thanx a lot!
scubidubi

Showing 2 responses by french_fries

my friend uses a pass aleph 1.2 monoblocks (200w/8 ohms) to drive his extremas, and they sound fine. 100-200w of QUALITY amplification should get the ball rolling. i wish SF would consider making them again, perhaps with an improved stand.
stereophile's review stated they sounded good right out of the box!! if that isn't amazing i don't know what is. the amatis got a good review, only m.fremer sold his pair before anyone could say wattpuppy7. the strads look nice but didn't do anything new for $40k. the new amati anniversarios haven't created much of a stir thus far. but the electra amators and the extremas were compact and sounded like full sized full ranged state of the art imaging etc. the drivers can probably still be replaced (dynaudio), and the woodwork for those of us who admire it will endure for many years with a little polish. i own guarneri homages, and they give chamber music appropriate character without having to apply any further audio terminologies. are the latest versions better? probably. but whether or not they convey music with more emotion is a big "maybe".
ANYWAY, MY big speech is prompted by the 1st time i heard extremas, which was at the stereophile show in miami and i stayed for a very long time in that room where, for me, i heard the best music making in the building (only the MBL-101's impressed me as much). so naturally, with big eyes and a small wallet,
i yearned for a pair, but could not find a demo or used sample (my budget was $5k, and THAT was a big stretch).
much later, traveling down the road of absurd desire for ridiculously expensive audio stuff, i came upon eggleston andras with the same tweeter used in the extremas, and got a used pair. so what if they lacked the sonus faber "look"?
at least they sounded ALOT like the extremas, with even more bass (down to 20Hz!) but you never lose sight of a beautifully executed design like the extremas. enough already. get a pair.(!)
what's with all this talk about WATTS?? are we talking about the same speaker?? SUMIKO at the stereophile show used an audio research solid state stereo amp; i believe it put out 200 watts per channel. certainly no more than that. i will admit that they also used an SME-30 turntable which is considered one of the best in the world. they also used a copeland tube preamp, and ocos wire. but by no means do you need mega-watt amps to drive these speakers. you would need a QUALITY amp however. as dave wilson would say, you can drive the WAMM'S (gigantic four-cabinet array) with 50-100 watts as long as the amp has a reputation for sounding like music. i'm no wilson audio nut, but this is true. now, apogee's were known for needing tremendous power into 2 ohms, and i would never argue about that (due to their ribbon technology). anyway, i do NOT recommend amplifiers, as this is a personal choice. but if you like the extremas, i do too. the end.