Amp for Sonus Faber Cremona - old model

Thanks all - I've read good reviews about all of your recommendations. I'm in no rush - probably will demo this summer and purchase in the late fall. 1200w? OMG that must be otherworldly.

I think my budget will be <$10,000 for preamp / amp combo, depends on WAF.

Any other Cremona lovers care to recommend an amp/preamp combo?

Thanks again,
Mike

I have older cremonas and I use audio research vs 110 and ls26 pre amp and sounds great, was listening to Mac 402 and sounded very dry and lifeless ,not a good match in my opinion. Also with there new replacements out you should be able to great value here on the used market.

I have Cremonas in my living room. They have seen:

ARC LS-25 w/ARC VT130SE (hi-power tube), Odyssey Stratos monos (hi-power SS), Prima Luna 7 monos (mid power tube).

Also Bel Canto 300i integrated (hi power class D SS) and Pathos Classic One integrated (mid power hybrid).

All of these combos sounded pretty good, if slightly different one to the next. Both the ARC and PL aren't the "tubiest" sounding tube amps in the world, but that side of their character was evident with this speaker. The Prima Luna might have been a stretch, but all others were comfortable at high volume - including the Pathos which was the long term choice. (That was based as much on cosmetics as sound - this is my living room system, so it doubles as furniture/sculpture.)

Bottom line: There's lots of flexibility here, but if you go with tubes make sure that you have enough power.

Not sure if this helps or not but I have the original Cremona Auditors and when I first got them I tried them with the a Conrad Johnson Premier 11A tube amp and a Pathos Classic One MkII tube/ss integrated (both ~70wpc as I recall). Even though of similar power the Pathos seemed to control the speakers much better. They seemed faster and more dynamic with the Pathos. Shortly thereafter I switched to Crimson 630E monoblocs (~170wpc) and 710 preamp which took the speed, dynamic transitions and overall musical involvement to a completely different level.

That said I would have been happy with the Pathos except it suffered from reliability problems which got me searching for something else (namely Naim). I suspect I just had bad luck though and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest giving Pathos a listen. They sound great and are LOVELY to look at.

Hope that helps a bit.

Stuart

I use a Classe CP-65 pre and a Levinson 432 amp (400 watts at 8 ohm) with my Cremona. I have tried big Classe amps with the Cp-65 pre and find the sound a little harsh. Likewise, a Levinson 32 or 326 pre is too laid back with the 432 amp. So, a neutral to slightly forward pre (CP-65 and a neurtral to laid back amp (ML 432) works for me. I really like the 432, although you need to be aware that support can be a expensive these days with them, although I have never had any trouble with my amp. I would also suggest you try the various McIntosh if you can. I have heard the Cremona with the large Edge amps and really like them, although I have never had them in my listening room. I would also think about what cables you have. I tried several and ended up with Transaparent Audio Ultra.