Looking for an amp to drive Eidolons Vision.

For under 20K (or over 20K if you like) you could get a very respectable YBA set-up. Ask your Avalon dealer if he has heard them with YBA amps. If you want to demo them before you buy (and you should) the North American distributor is very good about lending equipment to dealers for customers to demo. Let the speakers get nicely run in before you start in-home demos though.

Good luck!

Elberoth, I have a pair of Eidolons that I drive with Atma-Sphere MA-2 MkIIIs amps and the combination is superb. I've heard the Eidolons in different systems over the years with a variety of amps, and this is the most satisfying combination I've heard (I've not heard the JL-2s, but do read good things about that combination).

The challenge is the cost new: $33,000. I know you say "new gear ONLY," but let me offer a consideration: buy a used MA-2 MkII ($12-13,000 see Audiogon classified) and send it back to the factory to be updated to MkIII status. Ralph will update the amp to current factory spec and extend a new 5-year "as new" warranty on the amp. One great thing about the Atma-Sphere amps is that the life of the output tubes is very, very long (in the 10,000+ hours range), and output tubes do not have to be matched so you can replace just one at a ttime as needed. The output tubes are also relatively inexpensive.

I agree right down the line with the comments Marc Mickelson makes in his May, 2004, SountStage review of the MA-2s: http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/atmasphere_ma2ii3.htm
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Really good advice from Rushton on the "used-to-new" updates of the MA-2's. Now that sounds like a great value.

I heard the MA-1's vs. the JL-2 late last year driving Sound-Lab U1s and both products were outstanding. For me however, I prefered the CAT because of its phenomenol dynamic contrasts. If you are considering the JL-2 which I believe is around $12k new, but your budget goes higher, I understand there is a non-signature JL-3 model that is in the low $20k range. Brian, Audiogon member is EssentialAudio, in the Chicago area has a lot of experience with these two amplifier lines. I suggest you contact him if either of these amps is on your list.

John

Hi Jafox, just a comment on the dynamic contrasts of the two Atma-Sphere amps: the MA-2 has far greater dynamic capabilities than the MA-1. There is very little comparison unless you add the power supply boost upgrade to the MA-1 (which adds a significantly greater amount of capacitor reserve to the power supply). I know your comparison was between the MA-1 and the JL-2, just didn't want anyone to draw an inference you'd not intended. Cheers.
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