Amp Suggestions please...

A properly designed amplifier will not interact with the speakers. Power amplifiers are supposed to be voltage sources. Their output voltage is the product of their gain times the input voltage. One of the design goals of good amps is to not have their output voltage vary as a result of speaker impedance. If it does the system will not have flat frequency response. The spec that measures of the designers success in this regard is the amps damping factor. Above 10 or 15 it probably is acadmemic. Good transistor amps will measure in the hundreds.

The Plinius is a superior amp, I don't care what the other power ratings are and they won't matter since the speakers are 88db efficient @ 8ohm. Choose a good head unit with a sub-out, you may find yourself longing for the bottom octave sometime down the road and it would be easy to match a good sub in the system (there are plenty out there). The Marsh is made in Thialand..YIKES !!!

w/r/t damping factors: Marsh = 800, Sim = 800, Plinius - no data found. w/r/t output: Marsh is 200w @ 8 ohms, 330 @ 4 ohms; Sim is 120 @ 8 ohms, 200 @ 4 ohms, Plinius is 100 @ 8 ohms, 160 @ 4 ohms. w/r/t THD: Marsh = .02, Sim = .01; Plinius = .05. S/N on all are 100db All data from respective manufacturers websites; reviewers and your numbers may vary (and do: TAS said their test on the Sim W-3 showed a damping factor that "never went below 500"; but as mentioned above, at over 100 it's probably academic.)

I would like further explanation of the statement "A properly designed amplifier will not interact with the speakers." I always thought it was that very interaction that dominated the resultant sound from the system: spend all the money in the world on your front end and speakers, it'll still sound like mush thru a $120 integrated from Best Buys. Which is not to say other components don't get their signature into the mix, it's just that clean power delivered to well matched speakers will better enable you to hear everything that's happening in the system (and therefore, from the source, which is what we want to hear in the first place).

Don't rightly know where Plinius products are built, nor Sim, nor do I particularly care - it's sound and specs that speak to me. Especially sound.

chas

Chas, the Plinius can be run in Class A or Class AB by user selection from the front panel. Do either of the others have this option?

Marchman:

Nope, not that I know of. It's hard to get much data about the Marsh amps (outside of the dealership, anyway) which makes me wonder what they don't want to say (I find this particularly odd given that they do have a pretty impressive sound). Sim has considerably more spec type data on their site, and it seems clear that they're straight A/AB "Class A up to 5 watts to maintain efficiency". Whatever. I have heard the Marsh, and I finally remembered it was the Plinius 8150 I demo'd a while ago - truly an excellent piece as well. I have very few dealers around and not a lot of time to play, but I would love to one on one these three amps in question - unfortunately, the Plinius is 2 hours north, the Marsh is 45 min south, and I dunno where I could find the Sim (probably some dumb distance east or west!).

chas