Thank you for these suggestions. I have noticed the Vandersteen 5As occasionally paired with some very large and powerful amps (ARC, Joule Electra, Spectron, Jeff Rowland) at audio shows. Perhaps this is just marketing. Of course the Vandersteen 5As don't need this kind of power to play loud, but maybe there are benefits in terms of dynamic range, headroom, ease of presentation. All of which would certainly be offset if the speakers were to be placed at risk.
Vandersteen 5A and high power amps
I'm thinking of mating my Vandersteen 5A speakers with high power amplification, such as the new Spectron amps in monobloc configuration, rated at well over 1000 watts per channel. Vandersteen recommends up to 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms, so obviously a lot of care would be called for. Does anyone have experience mating these speakers with ultrahigh power amplification? Was there a real sonic benefit in doing so? Any negative experiences?