amp for Usher speakers


Im on a budget and looking for an amp to power Usher X718-manuafcturer says 80 wpc rec. Im considering the usuals-nad, cambridge, creek-used of course. Any other suggestions? I would love to have phono too
tbromgard
I owned BE-20's and for fun I tried an Ayre integrated on them. I'll tell you that was an excellent combination. If it drove teh BE-20's I'm pretty sure it will have no trouble with 718's.
I'd like to hear ushers on a good Class D amp, like Wyred4sound perhaps.

I've only heard the Ushers on a good tube amp system and they sounded a tad thin and shrill on that in comparison to others. I think SS is a better choice and the Class Ds specifically are known to have an easy top end in general compared to some SS amps.
I heard the Usher 6311's with a Vincent hybrid amp and it was pretty darn good. The one that sells close to $1,000. I'm sure under $1500.00.
Used to own a pair of 6381's. Usher recommends SS amps for their speakers, but many have had success with tubes. FWIW I tried Nuforce Ref 8 Class D (160w/8ohm) which I believe Usher recommends. I also tried Usher's own Class A, A/B Ref 1.5 (150w/8ohm) and finally a tubed Cary Rocket 88R (30w triode/60w ultralinear). I preferred the Cary in UL over all of them. The Nuforce weren't bad however. The tubes just added that 'tube magic' particularly in mids. Presentation seemed more fleshed out and a bit more forward.

Still, despite my above experiment, I would say the higher the power the better. The Ushers aren't terribly sensitive. Impedance curve, I think, isn't too wild, but in 30w triode mode with the Cary there just wasn't enough there.