Tubes OR solid state for Sonus Faber Cremona Audit

hi-i have the cremona auditors and listen exclusively to 1950's acoustic jazz--i tried lots of stuff, bought a mac ss but eventually went to an arc ph5 pre( about $1500 used on agon)( tubed) and mac mc 501's--these are thirsty speakers and you might consider 200 w or more to optimize--imho-the auditors are great for acoustic jazz and very warm speakers so you'll love em no matter what but my guess is you like tubey sound so if you're going integrated, i'd go tube all the way--as always,its your own ear that counts

As a former auditor owner and a current Cremona owner i think those speakers will sound best with a solid state power amp and a tube preamp.I used the auditors in a small room with a tube pre and power and it was a warm and wonderful sound.Things are going to change when they get into a room your size and power is the only thing that will make those speakers really sing.I realize this is not really answering your question,but the real reason for my reply is...Speaker position! Follow the Sonus Faber method,that will translate,given your room size to 5 feet from front wall{back of speakers} 2-3 feet from sidewalls and 6 feet apart with the speakers firing ahead with a slight toe in.Listening position some 6-7 feet from speakers.Every room is different and there will be a lot of variables but the concept of separating the room into three equal areas will give you a good start on getting the best sound from those speakers.With a tube power amp and those speakers in that size room you might be headed for some acoustic
questions that can only be answered with room treatments.Focus on some power and speaker setup and you will spend a lot more time enjoying your music.

I have owned a few pair of SFs through the mid 90s into the early 00s, the Concertos, EAIIs, Signums and Grand Pianos. Over that time, my favorite amp for the SF were Brystons. I found that the rock solid nature of the Brystons worked extremely well with the smoother character of the SF...one was the ying to the other's yang...

Good Luck, John

I had Bryston for my SF Cremona Audio in a secondary system, replaced it with Accuphase. Accuphase is a lot better with SF! I have also tried Jeff Rowland and Cary gear with SF. I would recommend Accuphase! There are a lot of others also who think that Accuphase + Sonus Faber is a match made in heaven. Just go for the biggest Accuphase you can afford.