AES Cary Sixpacs and Silverline Audio Sonata III

Bauerp

My room is just over 4M wide, and just under 6M deep, with the speakers firing off the short wall. I've two openings towards the rear of the room and one on either side.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say. I'm thinking the IIIs & your amp should do OK. i ran a BAT 60spc tube amp on mine and they sounded fine. Lots of volume. Not a lot of bass though. good punchy bass on tube amps seems an elusive thing generally speaking.

For me in my room, 92 - 94 db (avg), is more than I can handle for extended playing. maybe a song or two, but no more, then I need a break. the BAT vk60 did that on my sonata IIIs.

Consequently, I'd say SS is NOT a prerequsite for the Sonata IIIs to provide you volume. That's easy!

To do their best however is subjective! The real answer is going to be determined by your own tastes and preffs.

As far as I'm concerned the sonata IIIs are great speakers, period. given they're also in the over $7K retail range, having something comensurate to push them with might well be inorder too... I've found I can live pretty well with amps in the $5000 - $6000 range very often. More or less expense there ain't a bad thing either, I suppose, it's just my experience and was said above... "What sort of 50 wpc amp?". they ain't all equal. (also do try the 4 ohm taps off the amp, as well as the 8's if you get the Sonata IIIs... just a thought.).

FWIW, I do not have the Silverline III's (I have the Bolero's) but I have heard them at Silverlines location in California. I think Tvads comments are probably right on, considering that you like rock and like to 'turn the volume up'. If I had bought the III's I'd probably have been looking for some very refined SS amps to balance out the bass possibilities and the upper frequencies. Now if I was willing to pass on some of the punch in the bass I think I could have found hog heaven with tubes. They really are fine speakers but they are not, as I suspect Tvad has found, necessarily plug and play.

Tvad, Interesting observations about the III's mid-range being recessed. I'd hate to see what you thought of my Bolero's! :-) When you were considering tube amps were you also considering the type of power tubes used in them might contribute to the sonic signature? Type to type/brand to brand. I've found that selection can make some difference when it comes to linearity and dealing with coloration built into poweramps. FWIW.