Audio Refinement Complete owners: amp power Q

I have heard very good things about all the amps you mentioned, but I haven't heard any of them (I did hear the Creek 4330, which is a steal). I've used a Complete as the cornerstone of my system for about 4 years now. MANY other components (in fact, all of them) have come and gone, but the only amplification I've heard that I liked better was the Audio Refinement Multi-2/Pre-5 combo, and that's not necessary for some speakers (such as the efficient Triangle line). The Complete just has a very balanced, smooth, detailed, sound that has always outshown its competitors in my system. It's just a question of how it matches with your speakers. Some speakers, in my experience, do not sound their best unless you hit 'em with serious power and current, which is not what the Complete is all about. It's plenty energetic, though, and I love the deep, CLEAN bass, which is perfectly integrated with the rest of the sound. I am a real fan of YBA's whole approach to audio and I think their elegant, simple designs and attention to resonances, etc. pay off with results that sound, well, refined! Happy listening. PS: if you do listen to the Complete with the GMA speakers, be sure to let us know how it turns out. I've been curious about that very combo.

I have owned 2 of the amps you mentioned and used them with the Tyler Acoustics Tylo Reference Monitors (89db eff, I think). To me, the Bryston seemed to not have enough power at times. The Plinius is another story, with its much greater power output. I preferred the Plinius by a wide margin in my system/room.

BTW, according to a contact I trust, the Plinius 8100/8150/8200 sound nearly the same and the power increase for each successive unit is not that noticable. I also have a friend that owns the 8100 and he really likes it driving his Thiels (not a particularly easy load). If you don't need the little extra power or HT bypass circuit, look for a Plinius 8100 or 8150 in addition to the 8200.

Enjoy,

TIC

post results. I am leaning heavily toward the ARComplete, it seems like a great fit and at a fair price vs. its competition.
What equipment do you have working with the ARC right now? In particular I would like to hear about your choice of IC's/Cables. For cables I am leaning toward Signal Cable, for IC's I'm still not sure.