Sonus Faber Extremas


Heading to the CES and have high hopes for the Duetta by Wilson. Seems like the inverted titanim tweeter has been replaced, the only drawback I heard in the 7's and Sophias otherwise I would buy those speaker. Question is I enjoy tube amps and would appreciate any input on ayone who has owned Extremas. Demos are unlikely, they are hard enough to find let alone get a demo out here in South Fla. Could the Extremas be properly driven by amps or integrateds by Jadis or VAC? Sifting thru the threads Im reading 400 watts not being enough, and some even bridging to 800watts! Would a 60 watts Jadis class A or say the 130 watt VAC phi beta have enough current to make the extremas sing. Will throw in room size which I beleive is the key to this setup..20 wide 30 deep. Speakers maybe 6 feet away from wall. Listen only to Jazz and standards with a little classical on occasion. Thanks!
velo62

Showing 2 responses by rcprince

The only amps I ever heard on SF Extremas that made me understand what the fuss about those speakers was about have been the big Cello Performance monoblocks (the "red eyes") and a Gryphon stereo amp from the early 90s. Given the size of your room, while I love the Jadis and VAC amplification, I just don't know if they would be enough for your speakers (my old JA80s put out about 60 watts, but the guy who was trying to see if I'd buy the Extremas from him admitted that those amps could not have driven the Extremas to their potential). If you are considering buying new, I would insist on a return and refund privilege from the dealer. Maybe there's an A-gon member in your area with one of those amps?
You could always try the Jadis JA800s (the six-chassis version for the full power) or JA 500s if your floor financing line of credit is high enough! I have heard JA 500s drive mbl 101s, so they might have enough power to do the Extrmas. The problem is that the higher up the Jadis line you go in power, you lose a little bit of that midrange magic for which Jadis is justifiably famous (especially if you use 6550s or KT-90s). Raquel's suggestion of the CAT amps is a good one; otherwise, the Antileon is a good choice if the Jadis won't drive it.