Any Vandersteen 7 Owners in SFO Bay Area ?

my thoughts..
The 7 is no longer available only the improved MK2
I had a shot at last pair of 7 and passed as I wanted Richards best even if the differences are relatively small. Richard is a fanatical and frugal Engineer and mk2 means something. Not only is the acoustic lense chaged with better tweeter/ mid alignment but the subwoofer driver has been tweaked. I was able to hear 7's in 4 distinct environments around the country - including a generous offer to hear Richards personal setup - this before mk2 existed. I have heard them with as few as 200 wpc. without knowing your room tastes, etc..I would not feel comfotable saying what the minimum amp would be - certainly whatever you are using for the 5a Carbons would be up to 7's...I ran my 5a with a Mac240 for a while :-)
my tastes do not run to loud - as I write this I have Alison Krauss on at 17 on the ref5 se volume Ayre amp loafing..music is about 70 db ( using Audiotools rta)
the new vs used track has a couple of factors
new qualifies for future upgrade path. You get to pick your paint color also.
hopefully this helps
Jim

As for color -yes automotive colors.thousands of choices. I went with Audi phantom black pearl....I can send you photos if you like. just pm me your email. You can go mild to wild.
George who works for Randy at Optimal took some incredible photos of the 7' which I believe the use on the Vandersteen website and for reviews. 

My wife and I go to Stereo  Unlimited in San Diego to listen to the sevens with the Vandy amps. Wow! Best in his store and that covers a lot of very high end equipment. His display pair is in what I believe is Ferrari red. Gorgeous. I know his staff can deliver and set up anywhere. They do work in NYC so I imagine they can get up to n calif. 

I have Audio research ref 250SE and I believe it is more than enough to run these speakers. I have ARC 5SE as pre amp.