Amplifier for Vandersteen 3A sigs?


Any advice for an amplifier for Vandersteen 3A sigs? I hear great things about McCormack DNA 125 amps? McCormack pre amp as well? Is integrated amp out of the question for these speakers? I'm not very saavy with high end equipment and not familiar with components and matching them. Also is there any restrictions with these speakers and proximity to an LCD TV?
timberman
Probably the best amp I ever used with these speakers is the Theta Dreadnaught I. I used it with an Aesthetix Calypso preamp. It made really, really good sound. The McCormack's are good choices but not as smooth, holographic or detailed as the Theta.
The Dread II is better in the bass as for sounding powerful but not as smooth through the mids.
It all depends on what kind of sound you're looking for.
The Belles 350a (or 150a References are very, very good.)
They're some integrateds out there that are good such as the Musical Fidelity KW 500 or some of the other MF's. There's lots of choices. You need a good bit of power and these speakers do dip to around 3 ohms at some points requiring amps with solid power supplies.
BTW, these speakers are not magnetically shielded so close proximity could be a problem.
Timberman- there is another thread running right now on this issue, run a search on VAndersteen and you will find it.
i have a pair of 2ce sigs. tried a proceed heavyweight. better was c-j mf2200, added a bit of relaxation while still producing bass. tried 35-watt tube amp (old marantz 8), vocals were pretty but not realistic amp for driving big vandys.
I'm using the Channel Islands D200's. They replaced my long time favorite McCormack. They added transparency and detail, retaining the top and bottom extension. The McCormack had a slight perceived warmth edge, but I'm not so sure the warmth wasn't induced by subtraction. In other words, I think the d200's were more accurate. About the only criticism of the Vandy's I've heard is they lean towards dark, lacking fine detail and resolution. Some people will choose amps with a 'musical' interpretation they prefer, knowing it may not be true to the music.
Asking which amp is better, you have to determine where you fall on preference. There's a lot of really good amps that sound so different.