i am still puzzled to this day why sonus faber would discontinue the extrema- a virtual ton of positive reviews of their sound continues to proliferate the internet forums. my brother has a pair on sound anchor stands (which are an excellent match for wilson cubs or the extremas) and they are so solidly built and, when properly set up, compete with monitors or floorstanders equally well- they are certainly a unique cross between the two. he powers them with pass aleph 1.2's (200w/ch) which is more than adequate and again, are a product i wish nelson pass never discontinued either! maybe the XA-series are better (they certainly cost alot more), but go back and read the stereophile review of the aleph 1.2's- they are favorably compared to good tube amps. just put on some blue-note jazz on my brother's stereo and "you are there"...
