Agree with Vandy amps driving Vandy speakers. Just for fun I'd experiment with a Holo Serene KTE preamp in front. Now that would be an interesting comparison to the C.A.T. pre.
My Four Favorite SS Amps
The best SS amplifier I've ever heard was a Vandersteen driven by a CAT preamp. Amazing. I almost never bring it up because it is so far out of my price range.
The next three are about the same IMHO for sound quality, though the Ayre stands out a little.
D'Agostino, Luxman and Ayre.
Honestly the D'Agostion and Luxman sound very close. Tremendous bass and treble extension without hardness or accentuation. They just make speakers sound much more capable. Very smooth, dead quiet.
Now Ayre... Ayre is also very good but also IMHO kind of different sounding. It makes the room seem quieter and darker. I do NOT mean dark as in it lacks treble, not at all. I mean, it's as if you are listening into a pitch black room from which notes just magically come out of. It is my favorite? Should you get one? I don't know.... I really like the sound.... but it's ... just different?
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@tweak1 - I haven't listened to those, but My stock ICEpower 250s equaled or beat a lot of linear amps. Not as good as my Luxman, but stock was really really good. |
@jc4659 - Yeah, I wish I had "just for fun" funds to let me swap these in and out. :) I'll have to sit and wait for others to report. |
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