Amplifiers in use with big Harbeths (Mon 40 series) that work very well

thanks for the input so far - i am aware of the usual suspects, but wanted to check to see if there are any ’out of the ordinary’ synergistic matches out there

and yes, well aware of the amp discussions (as sad as they are) at h u g...

I first heard the 40.2's at Deja Vu in Washington DC.  There and at the CAF Vu was driving them with high-power CJ tube amplification.  I believe they can do well with both SS and tube. The need for a certain amount of power seems to be the most frequent refrain.  What I'd really like to hear about is someone risking powering them with a Pass XA25 or XA30.8 and then recounting what they heard.

About a year ago, I replaced my 40.1's with 40.2 Anni's and continue to use a Music Reference RM9 MKII with Gold Lion KT88's.  It was refurbished by Roger Modjeski a few years before his passing.  Along with the VAC 70/70, it has been the best sounding amp I've owned in my 20+ years as an audio enthusiast.

In the 8 years I owned 40.1's, I used the following amps:

• Music Reference RM9 MKII... great amp after refurbishment  

VAC PHI 200 (powerful bass, but lacked air and transparency... I was hoping for more out of this VAC amp)

VAC 70/70 Signature (130 pound beast, great SQ on vocals, classical and jazz... loved this amp, but a hassle to repair)

McIntosh MC275 MKV (fun, gutsy classic amp... recommended)

VAC 30/30 MK3 (nice amp with midrange to die for, but could use a more power)

Plinius SA-102 in class A (best solid state I've owned)

Bryston 4BST (decent value at used prices, but average sound quality)

McIntosh MA2275 (too soft and mellow... not recommended)

Musical Fidelity M3 Nu-Vista (disappointing... not recommended)

 

Plinius SA-102 in class A (best solid state I’ve owned)

May I ask what preamp was matched to the Plinius SA-102. I used to own the SA-100mk3 with Harbeth SHL5 and the sound was too warm and thick in the midrange and bass with reduced clarity and detail across the frequency spectrum. I tried about 3 or 4 preamps with the SA-100mk3 without much success. Few integrated amps sound better than the Plinius separates but they didn’t go too low in the bass.

In the end I settled with Naim mid range separates for the Harbeth, now upgraded to SHL5+.

I used an Aesthetix Calypso with NOS tubes.  

While the Plinius was the best solid state amp Ive owned, I haven't owned a lot of SS amps as I prefer tube amps.   If I had to use SS, the SA 102 is an amp I could live with.