Hyperion HPS-938 speakers

Bryantho, to answer your question, the 938s will play adequately with an 8W 300B if your idea of adequate is 85-90 dB in a medium/large room. They were designed for just this type of amplifier and it works. I had 938s a couple years ago and ran an 8W 2A3 SE amp (yes 8W) as well as 845 SETs (~20W). The latter would never come close to clipping or sounding harsh at any volume. Bass was slightly more rounded than with a solid-state amp (not a negative IMO).

Hi Dave, nice story.......sounds like I have heard it before, oh yaaaa , everytime I change something major in my system my little girl notice it right away. Wife notices only the differences when it comes to balance on our bank account.

David, what preamp qualities interest you the most.
Stereo with Home Theatre pass thrue or HT processor? If I were you I would go for the formal. I may also add that tube preamp would work really nice in your rig.
Some of the cable brands that you have mentioned offer 30 or 60 days money back on their products. It would not hurt to try them and see/hear for yourself. I have owned Signal and one of anticable's speker wires to name the few. However in my system Morrow cables rule. I like these cables so much that my second system will also use 100% Morrow Audio cabling .....but that is just me and YMMV. Do what your gut feeling tells you.

Cheers
Mariusz

Looks like I made some mistakes in the links. Meant to say
http://pacificcreek.com/index.php?cPath=98 (second hand info). Third would be Tube Audio Design.

In regards to the 22 watt SET amp from McAlister, I see no problem as Hyperion have their own SET design with similar power rating. Yes, the build quality of the McAlister is less than desirable especially when you look at the innerds which look like a 2nd grader put it together. The transformer hum was a real issue when I had them eventhough Peter claimed to have fixed the problem. But the sound is very good for the money. Shipping from out of country is a pain no matter what.

Mrjstark,

I have been thinking hard about preamps. Leaning towards the Arcam FMJ P9 Think thoes number are correct. Also the Mac mx-136 both are a bit pricy. Maybe quite a while. not sure how else to set it up??

Hawkeye43,
are you interested only in HT preamp or you want the best of both Worlds????? It can be done you know. Your budget would help make some useful recommendations.

P.S
You will never reach musical nirvana with HT processor alone. No matter how good it looks on the paper. Dedicated 2 channel rig which can coexist with Surround Sound Home Theatre setup is the only way to get the best of both formats. Invest in very good stereo preamp and surround sound processor. Don't worry we will guide you through if in need.

Cheers
Mariusz