Sugden a21 question....

The new A21SE is rated at 21W but remember Class A is a different ball game.

May be a different ball game, but still not in the right ball park in my experience. Two of the SS amps I've tried with my 89db SR17's were class A. The Aleph 5 putting out 50wpc, and the Bedinie 25/25 putting out, you guessed it, 25wpc. Both class A amps. In a larger space both could put out a fairly satisfying volume, but if you ever wanted to push it with dynamic music, again the results were less than satisfying in comparison to more powerful amps. In a smaller room you may be fine. But I'd still say you'd be on the borderline. $3k+ is a whole lot to risk...I'd see if you can get to audition them in your system before dropping that kind of coin.

Marco

Thank you all for your replies. That is kind of what I figured, but thought I would ask anyway. So it looks like it goes to my next two choices, which are the Portal Panache or the Unico with the Underwood Level 2 mod.
Any opinions on those?

I've only heard the un-modded standard Unico, but with some premium tube (don't recall which), and only in two very similar systems paired off with Solilquy 5.3 speakers (90db efficient floorstanders). In one room it sounded pretty compelling to me, in my own room not nearly as much so. I find the Panache far more engaging and much better at rendering a dimensional soundstage. Now I have no experience with the Underwood modded Unico, nor the newer Unico SE. They've both recieved great reviews, as did the original. I think synergy and personal preferences are going to be a strong determinant of what works for you.

Marco

You MUST try the amp with those speakers.
Dont believe everything you hear abvout "power hungry" speakers.
I have the Sugden Masterclass Integrated with 33 watts.
They power my Nautilus 805 very well. Better sounding than the 180 watt amps I tried.
Class A is different.

I second JeffJarvis. Although specs would indicate otherwise, sometimes the amp design is key to driving a pair of speakers properly. Real life example: a pair of X-1 and SW-1 two way monitors and their passive 10" woofer tower stands. They are supposed to be driven with a minimum of 100 watts+ of SS power...I drove them with a McCormack DNA-225 at 200 watts/channel..ear splitting levels, a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 at 110 watts of tube power...great sound....and also with a Sharp EX-111 that cost around $89...digital all in one unit with just 20 watts per channel. The last pairing was amazing. I did not bring down the house, but I was running hard enough to feel the bass in my chest. You might be surprised or disappointed with the pairing of the Sudgen. Can always buy used and later sell.