Vienna baby grand

Thank you Realhifi. . . I trust my dealer. . . provided he/she agrees with my ears. Regretably, I have this nasty habit of trusting my own ears first. . . odd habit, really.

Or to use the old Reagan adage. . . "trust. . . but verify!"

Last time I agreed with a dealer has been with Soundings ofDenver (Co), who actually recommends wholeheartedly the pairing of Vienna Acoustics speakers with Rowland electronics.

Lot of money to spend on a recommendation. I hope everyone can see by this post why dealers that carry decent equipment
are disappearing. Quite honestly, Sumiko is pretty careful about their dealers and the one in your area that carries these would be able to steer you into an amp that would make those sound simply terrific. Trust your dealer.

As I mentioned to Hien Le in a private msg, one attractive solution that should fit the $5K budget, may be to adopt a pair of Rowland 201 (new) or even better 501 (used) monoblocks, then get the new Rowland PC1 Power Factor Corrector unit (new only: $1200). This device fits between the amps and the AC outlet and is said to take the little monos more than 80% up to the magic of the 312. Similar circuitry is already built into the 300 series flagship amps. I am not quite sure if the device can be said to be a line conditioner or a transformer. . . I'll post more info when I find out.

I agree with Dcstep. Consider stepping up to a larger amp that fits your listening needs...whatever that is.

My Haydn Grand (used in HT) is powered by Musical Fidelity A308CR dual mono power amplifier...it is a killer. It's rated at 250 watts per channel, and can deliver blockbusting current, high voltage and, at the same time, it has incredibly low distortion over a very wide bandwidth and loading range.

Great match and synergy. The mid bass, imaging, and sound stage I get out of those speakers are hard to beat.

Ayre V-5xe delivers 150 watts to 8ohms. I audition this amp with totem monitors and vandersteen Quatro. Open and Airy. Very dynamic.

VTL - ST 185 tube amp audition with Totem loudspeakers. Another great amp that is warm, neutral, and transparent.

McIntosh MC252 would also be on the list. The MC252 Stereo Power Amplifier delivers lots of clean power. Auditioned with Focal 1037.

That should get you started.

I've got the Baby Grands. I've heard them with Primare, but I didn't pay attention to the model. Anyway that combination was very good.

I started with a 100-watt per channel (into 4 ohms) Bryston 2B and moved up to 300 watts from a Conrad Johnson CA200, now using Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8 cables. Over in Reviews you can see both my review of CJ amp and the AP cables. I purchased the CJ here on A'gon for a price well within your budget. I bought my cables new, but I'd have no reservation buying used cables.

If you'll consider other intergrateds (I think it's the way to go in your price range) then look for a Rowland Concerto. However, his little mono-blocks are incredible with the VA speakers.

VAs like a relatively high damping factor, which I think all the amps we've discussed so far deliver.

While your new speakers are still breaking in, it's a good time to line up the rest of the components and get them broken in also. The speakers start getting real nice after 50 hours but benefit from a few hundred, as does everything else.

Did you buy from a Sumiko dealer? If so, then insist on the Sumiko Master Set in your room. (See Review also). It's the single most important factor in maximizing your system enjoyment, IMHO.

Dave

Ledinhhien, that is exactly the electronics brand I heard at RMAF in the Baby Grands room. They also used a Primare CDp. Only difference was usage of some Analysis+ Ovals and Cardas in the wiring. If I can be hypercritical, the only defect I could find was a slight edginess in the treble for my particular preference. What front end do you use? What sonic change are you seeking? What music do you listen to mostly? Guido

I have primare A32, primare pre30 but I can change to a new sys if needed. I use Aq type 8 and king cobra cable. My budget is not over 5000USD
Thanks

Congrats! The Vienna Baby Grands are marvellous speakers. . . heard them at RMAF in the Soundings room, but. . . it's a little difficult to make a generic amp recommendation. . . What is the rest of your system, including wires, PCs, etc. . . what music do you like to listen to? What are your sonic expectations/goals? What is your budget? Are you set on a particular underlying technology (solid state, tubed, class D/T)?