Amps/Preamps for Rockport Aviors

Andy Payor does usually recommend Gryphon which is one of the warm and full bodied solid state lines great stuff,

We have a client who has a set of their large amplifiers, it is a shame the brand is not obtainable in the States and therefore it is also a shame that Andy doesn't endorse a brand which more people can hear.

Hi Gasherbaum. Let us all  know how you make out. That way, we can enjoy vicariously without having to spend our own money.
P.S. despite the fact that specifications may not indicate that the ARC 250se or VTL S400IIs are a perfect match, both of their power supplies are extremely robust so I think you will be surprised at how well they handle your speakers, especially if used in combo with their respective preamps. Lastly, you are in luck to have a dealer that carries D'Agostino, ARC and VTL. While you are testing those 3 brands, try an ARC pre with a Dag amp. That will get you half way between the full tube sound and a hint of tube sound with what some would say is the best of both worlds. The combo is one I heard often (before Dag came out with its preamp) and I can tell you that the ARC/DAG combo is quite synergistic.
I am a huge fan of your speakers and wish you the best of luck.

Hello Everyone,

I am hoping tomorrow is a fun day as I drive up to Ft. Collins to listen to the VTL, D'Agostino and ARC.  I also hope to stop in Wheat Ridge on the way to hear the Ayre that was also recommended. 

JWM, thanks for the warning about the Altair 2's not doing great with tubes.  I have heard, although I may be wrong, that the Altair and the Arrakis were very hard to drive and needed a lot of SS power, although they are supposed to be magical sounding.  The Rockport Cygnus and smaller speakers (like the Aviors) i have heard are less demanding (also produce a smaller sound stage).  I will let you know what I think after hearing the various SS and tube amps on the speakers at my house. 

Knghifi, thanks for putting me in touch with Philb7777; I sent him a message and he responded, and he thought that a bigger need than an amp upgrade was a preamp upgrade.  He says he loves his ARC REF 5SE driving his 250's with his Rockports.  While I was intending to upgrade both, I appreciated him suggesting that the bigger need may be the preamp and that I may get a much bigger soundstage just by upgrading the preamp.   

GPGR4blu, thanks also for the suggestion on the D'Agostino amp with an ARC pre-amp.  It reminded me that someone at RMAF had said something similar and I had totally forgotten.  This gives me one more good combo to think about and test out -- could be an amazing sound.  

Thanks everyone, and I'll give my first update after this weekend, but I think the best update will come after I've had a chance to test the gear on the speakers in my house.  so far, it looks like I should be able to listen, at my house after I get my speakers,  to a used pair of ARC REF 250's (the dealer up in Ft. Collins has a traded in pair), a pair of the ARC 250 SE's, the VTL's, the D'Agostino, and the Ayre, all from local dealers, and I may pay to have the Pass Labs shipped to test them too.  I was surprised at how friendly the dealers were and that they offered to bring the gear over to my house and let me test it. 

Again, thank you to everyone for your suggestions and taking the time to respond to the post.  I know many of you have a wealth of knowledge and experience with hi-fi; I unfortunately do not, so these forums really help educate me and lead me in a good direction for my purchase. 

Thank you, Larry  

I've been driving my Aviors with the very rare and wonderful Pathos Inpol2 Integrated amp with NOS Mullard tubes used on the input stage and MOSFET on the output - 45W pure class A.  The only thing i've heard as good is the Vitus SIA-25, which is all solid state and 25 W pure class A.  It does a wonderful job at XXX times the cost of the Pathos.

I'm having a very special pushpull 300B integrated made by Berning and so will be selling my Pathos in the near future. If you are interested in this incredible integrated, to let me know.