Jonah -
I have your speakers and have heard them in a variety of systems with a variety of gear. The fact is that these are really high-end speakers, and the better your amplifcation and front end gear is, the better sound you will get from them. Also- they are pretty finicky with gear. If mismatched, I've found they just don't sound good at all. I don't know what your budget is like, but moving to well-matched separates will pay dividends in terms of fidelity. I haven't been too impressed with Simaudio's preamps (including the ones in their intregrated, they have always sounded dry and thin to my ears) but I think their amps are fantastic.
Are you looking to buy new or used? Something like a w5 matched with a quality tube preamp would be ideal for your speakers. A used w3 would also be awesome, and cheap.
Regarding your actual question - Though the S1.4s are relatively inefficient, the bigger issue is that they are a 4 ohm speaker, and as such, need a healthy supply of current. My understanding of the I5 (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that even though it is 70 WPC instead of 100 WPC, it is a higher current design then the I3, rendering it a better match for the Dyns than the I3.
What subwoofer do you have?
I have your speakers and have heard them in a variety of systems with a variety of gear. The fact is that these are really high-end speakers, and the better your amplifcation and front end gear is, the better sound you will get from them. Also- they are pretty finicky with gear. If mismatched, I've found they just don't sound good at all. I don't know what your budget is like, but moving to well-matched separates will pay dividends in terms of fidelity. I haven't been too impressed with Simaudio's preamps (including the ones in their intregrated, they have always sounded dry and thin to my ears) but I think their amps are fantastic.
Are you looking to buy new or used? Something like a w5 matched with a quality tube preamp would be ideal for your speakers. A used w3 would also be awesome, and cheap.
Regarding your actual question - Though the S1.4s are relatively inefficient, the bigger issue is that they are a 4 ohm speaker, and as such, need a healthy supply of current. My understanding of the I5 (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that even though it is 70 WPC instead of 100 WPC, it is a higher current design then the I3, rendering it a better match for the Dyns than the I3.
What subwoofer do you have?