SF Extrema,Few q

as Gergm advise to check the units condition I guess the following Q has to be if SONUS FABER still holding repair units for the Extrema?after 14 years i think they may not.

Gregm - To build good AMP based on Hyepx it will cost me much more than 300$ maybe around the 1400$(!),I guess second hand will be more easy for to buy.
have u heard hyepx DIY amps?do u think it can be good match?

my friend uses a pass aleph 1.2 monoblocks (200w/8 ohms) to drive his extremas, and they sound fine. 100-200w of QUALITY amplification should get the ball rolling. i wish SF would consider making them again, perhaps with an improved stand.
stereophile's review stated they sounded good right out of the box!! if that isn't amazing i don't know what is. the amatis got a good review, only m.fremer sold his pair before anyone could say wattpuppy7. the strads look nice but didn't do anything new for $40k. the new amati anniversarios haven't created much of a stir thus far. but the electra amators and the extremas were compact and sounded like full sized full ranged state of the art imaging etc. the drivers can probably still be replaced (dynaudio), and the woodwork for those of us who admire it will endure for many years with a little polish. i own guarneri homages, and they give chamber music appropriate character without having to apply any further audio terminologies. are the latest versions better? probably. but whether or not they convey music with more emotion is a big "maybe".
ANYWAY, MY big speech is prompted by the 1st time i heard extremas, which was at the stereophile show in miami and i stayed for a very long time in that room where, for me, i heard the best music making in the building (only the MBL-101's impressed me as much). so naturally, with big eyes and a small wallet,
i yearned for a pair, but could not find a demo or used sample (my budget was $5k, and THAT was a big stretch).
much later, traveling down the road of absurd desire for ridiculously expensive audio stuff, i came upon eggleston andras with the same tweeter used in the extremas, and got a used pair. so what if they lacked the sonus faber "look"?
at least they sounded ALOT like the extremas, with even more bass (down to 20Hz!) but you never lose sight of a beautifully executed design like the extremas. enough already. get a pair.(!)

I was "blown away" by my listening to the Extremas,but the owner had added a superb super tweeter to them.We a/b'd these,and the Sonus "classic's" moved into another league with them.The original Extrema is a fine design,but is a bit rolled off in the highs.Easily remedied!
We are all bombarded,today,by marketing!!In all areas.We are almost brain washed by the approach that we should get the newest,or latest.Keep buying and buying!
Every aspect of almost any hobby contains this element!Many foolish hobbyists take it too seriously,and IMO,this hurts our real chances of attaining great sound.
I know of two specific people who are SO enamored with the latest audio toys,that they never take the time to "voice" their set-ups properly!They sell their stuff too quickly.
I have another well experienced group,who base everything on sound alone,and MUST live with something long enough to get the "most" from it,before moving on.Who do you think have more musical systems?
Sorry for the rant!

Back to the Extremas...I LOVE them(don't own them,but appreciate greatness).To my ear,and eye,they can be considered as good as I have heard(and I live in the New York area,and have heard it all,almost)based on room size(very important).They are SO well made,and are so beautiful,and different looking(in the best way)that I doubt if these cannot be serviced,even if the drivers were not continued by Sonus Faber.The woodwork alone is enough to be displayed in a museum.You cannot get a sense of how "distinct looking" they are by a picture!!
This has become a small world,with the web,and all.There are many people who do admirable work on speakers,and electronics.Many Modify companies too.Some better than others,but I don't think "anything" is a dead issue in this modern time.Almost anything is available.
The speakers are a "magnificent,one of a kind looking" design,that still easily holds up to the competition,with the addition of a super-tweeter,which MUST be added to stay competitive!Go for them,and enjoy music through them!You won't be sorry!If you are,then give them to me!!-:)
Best!

Here's what I can tell you about the Extremas.
The Extremas having no capacitors in their crossover and require some hefty amplification.
I wouldn't use any Tube amps or Class D amps.
Alot of the Class D amps are very small.
The Extremas use a unique Skanning midrange.
Skanning makes only Polyprolene midbases and woofers.
The Skanning 7 1/2 midbase woofer on the Extremas is a Polypropelene driver with Carbon Fiber.
The Carbon Fiber part of the midbase driver is made by Sonus Faber, not Skanning.
The Carbon Fiber made by Sonus Faber for the Extremas uses the best material.
This Carbon Fiber when combined with the Skanning Polyprolene driver has a sound that has to be heard to be believed.
The speakers sound so rich and transparent with soundstaging that is so holographic.
The bass is fast and tight.
A great amp on the Extremas is the Meridian 557 amps bridged.
Used these amps probably cost like 1000 each.
This is what my friend is using.
The 557 amps bridged are like 800 watts.
One 557 amp couldn't power the Extremas.
My friend and I tried it.
But when you use 2 Meridian 557 amps bridged.
Holy Moly did these speakers sound incredible.
It was night and day when you bridge them compared to using 1 557 amp.
1 557 amp just wasn't powerful enough.
I also agree about the Audio Research D400 amp.

The amps I heard were the new Bernings!Wonderful.