Amp Suggestion for Harbeth C7es3

This current listing is a steal, and would work great with the harbeths.

Naim NAC 102 Preamp + Napsc + NA 522 MM Boards (52/82) +NAP 180 Power Amplifier

Used Naim, Exposure or Rega integrated solves your prob.

"Maybe one of the Pass Alephs?"

That would be a great choice if you can find one for under $1000. Most likely it will be either a 3, or a 5, but either one should work ok.

You can get a new pair of Quicksilver Mini Mono's for $1200. There is a used pair going for $800 over at Audio Asylum. Harbeth's sound real nice with Quicksilver.

As a former C7es3 owner and now M30.1 I would recommend Rega Brio-R.

Oops, forgot to add that there is a reasonably priced Rega Brio-R on Audiogon now. I have no connection to the seller.

My experience with the MiniMites on my Spendor SP2/3s (an easier load than your Harbeths) was not enough headroom. They reached a ceiling fairly quickly where they became compressed. With my 90db Fried A/3s, they were a bit more friendly, however. I would opt for the older Mid Monos used (also owned those) with much more grunt with more iron.

Buy an Onkyo 9050 from Amazon for $350. I was using it's predecessor with Monitor 30s while waiting for my "good" amp to be delivered and it was pretty damn good. If you can't reconcile that one, try a Bada DC222 (or whatever it is right now) from Pacific Valve. About a grand or so and it is one of the best amps I've heard anywhere near this price range.