8 ohm speaker that sounds like sonus faber

Hi Marty. Yes, us common folk must participate in those damn trade offs. My room at the time was 24 X 14 w/ 8 ft. ceilings. Interesting it was an OTL amp that didn't work for you. It was my Tenor 75WI that didn't quite do it for me. A real shame, as both the Tenor and the PE's are both so good, just not paired together. Your point that the FE's would not have the bottom octave is a good one. That is why I bought the Parsifal's, after having heard the Fidelio's. At that time, I believe the Fidelio I heard was not the Encore though. Bottom line is I also believe the OP should be fine w/ 70 healthy watts. I would like to make one last point. I will say the Parsifal's may benefit from the extra power. My brief audition w/ that ATM-2 was a rewarding experience. Ultimately, I chose to keep my 250 watt CJ 8A's. The other map I had w/ the PE's was an Accuphase A50v. That amp really grabbed hold of those 4 Ohm woofers. I still sold the Accuphase to stick w/ tubes, but it's capabilities were obvious. Tight, detailed bass control.

I have been following this thread with interest. One of my systems has a pair of Fidelio Encores. I have heard these speakers sound terrific in 2 rooms in our home and with amplifiers ranging in power from 25 wpc pure class A up to 200 wpc. I am listening to them right now in their "final" location, seamlessly integrated with a REL B-2 and I am one happy camper.

A suggestion to the OP/others. I recently heard the new Naim Ovator and was extremely impressed, shocked actuall. For $10K new they appear to be hard to beat. Incredible imaging and realism. Do not remember any specifics about their impedance, etc, but they are far easier to drive than my Fidelio Encores. Superb sound with both tubes and SS. Definitely worth a listen IMHO.

Vienna Acoustics

Do you already have a 70 watt tube amp that you want to continue to use? If so, what is it? If not, if you like the Cremona M, why not look for an appropriate tube amp for them? It is my understanding that the new Cremona are a lot easier to drive than the old ones. I have the original Cremona, but drive them with a tube pre and a SS amp. Have you considered this type of mix?

The new Cremona M is very easy to drive with 70 tube watts. It has a more refined top-end compared to the old Cremona. Much better balanced and neutral compared to old model.