Low power tube amp for Sonus Faber?

I borrowed a Cronus Magnum 2 from Rogue Audio and hooked it up to Sonus Faber Venere 2.5. I didn't like it as much as the solid state Arcam amp I have been and still are using. The clarity of the high and mid-range music was less and the bass power and clarity less with the tube amp. The Sonus Fabers are such a rich, warm speaker I'm not sure that they benefit from the overtones of a tube amp, at least mine, in my room did not. So, I didn't spend the money, and am using this old amp which truthfully makes these speakers sound better than anything I ever thought I would be able to afford to have in my house.

Thanks everyone for input. It seems the majority here agrees 30w is not ideal. So if that’s the case I might be able to get mastersound 845 evolution. It’s 55w per channel. Would this be better or I shouldn’t bother at all under 100w? 

The problem is that you can’t just go with arbitrary power/watt numbers to decide, it isn’t that simple. Two amplifiers can have identical watts and yet be in some cases vastly different in performance and drive capability. This is what Garcia was alluding to in an earlier post.

I’d strongly suspect the 55 watt Mastersound has beefier transformers and power supply which would be an advantage. In your smaller room environment and listening levels and preferred music fare it’s possible the 30 watt amplifier could be quite adequate. It just depends on the variables involved. I’ll ask again, is there the opportunity for a home audition?

If the 55 watt Mastersound is within your budget certainly it’d be the safer choice. 
Charles

The Sonus Fabers are such a rich, warm speaker I’m not sure that they benefit from the overtones of a tube amp, at least mine, in my room did not.

So is this why the company that owns Sonus Faber also owns Audio Research and MacIntosh?

It seems the majority here agrees 30w is not ideal. So if that’s the case I might be able to get mastersound 845 evolution. It’s 55w per channel. Would this be better or I shouldn’t bother at all under 100w?

That’s not quite double the power- not quite 3 db,,, 100 watts would suit better. But here’s the thing about tube amplifier power- its always been expensive, and for that reason speakers with higher efficiency are recommended. The thing is, you don’t have to take a loss of either resolution or bandwidth in having a more efficient speaker! My speakers are 98 db, 16 ohms and go to 20Hz on the bottom and yet they are also one of the most resolving and natural sounding speakers I’ve heard.


IOW if you really are smitten with the Mastersound, get more efficient speakers.

According to a lengthy email exchange I had with Roger Sanders --over 40 yrs of ESL experience -- the jist of what he explained to me is that speakers with a 4 ohm rating will not actually perform at their state SPL range.    a 91 db rated speaker will be somewhere in the 80's.     The discussion I had revolved around a pair of Decware speakers rated at 94db..   Roger's calculation indicated that they were more like 86 db or something to that effect.   If Im not mistaken has to do also with not being 1 watt @ 1 meter.   Im sure someone here that posted remembers better than I.