Aeris speakers amp

Thank you for the reply....
Actually, I have reached out to Legacy. They seem to be noncommittal about the PL and recommend their amp or a Coda. Using the class D PS Audio amps as a reference, I've decided to shy away from class D like the Legacy amps. The PL's were my first foray into tubes and I really liked the sound. My concern is the ability of the PL's to drive the speakers to the fairly loud level that I sometimes do. I used the old Focus to try to get a feel of how they would do by biamping with the PL driving the upper end using the one I have in stereo mode. The amp seemed to handle the load to a point but could hear an audible change at higher listening levels. I listen to different genres of music depending on mood.... rock, jazz, blues, alt country, etc., and will "rock out" on occasion at a higher volume. The speakers are in the large open room with my usual listening position about 12 ft. away. I have read many reviews of the Aeris and searched discussion boards and have ended up undecided about the PrimaLuna amps being up for the job even in monoblock. The Focus speakers at some frequencies dip down into the 2 ohm range and if the Aeris does the same and with larger drivers, I would assume that it would make it harder on the PL's. The Aeris is rated at 95db at 2.83v so actually 92? I've used SPL calculators to get a feel for performance and think the PL's are on the edge. Maybe an amp like the BHK would be better suited. The new speakers probably will not arrive before I have to make a decision on keeping the PL's so I am just trying to get a setup decided on.

Nice research! Ok, so are you gonna face it? You want a new amp with your new speakers! ;) OK, so the PLs are out, or done in Mono, at which point you may as well look at possibilities of new amp(s). 

I had a similar situation with the Pathos Classic One years ago (models I, II and III reviewed for Dagogo.com). I did get a second one and run them mono. It was swell! But, eventually, as will happen, a different amp outperformed and they went goodbye. I still miss their gorgeous midrange, however, and gorgeous looks. 

Regarding class D, it's not possible to gain a perfect perspective on the genre from one ownership experience. I have never been overwhelmed by PS Audio amps; just being honest. If you are using old models of PS Audio I can certainly see why you're not seeking class D. But, there is a fairly wide range of performance among class D. Just letting you know. 

But, if you adore tube sound, sure, why not stick with it? OTOH, the Legacy amps were designed to have high synergy with their speakers - and that is an important possible advantage that should not be overlooked. Perhaps chat with other big Legacy speaker owners who have their amps. I certainly would not dismiss that option. It is entirely possible that the Legacy amp could be preferable to any given tube amp you select. Only direct comparison would tell. 

You're asking people to give you an edge on SS/tube without ever hearing the amps or speakers. Can't be done. You simply have to do your homework in terms of actual comparison if your goal is to know with certainty. 

Congrats on the Aeris! I own a pair and have been very happy with them for a few years now. 

I can share my experiences and if they are of some help to you, great. I have tried a pair of JC1s, Veritas, an XA25, a 150.8, and finally a Gyphon Diablo 300 on the Aeris, so I can offer some thoughts. 

JC1s sounded pretty good on the high bias setting. Even though the bass is powered by the internal amps to my ears it seems like that output and sound is still influenced by the amps, so with the JC1s the bottom end was big and bold and driving the speakers to high volume wasn't a problem. The high end also sounded pretty good. If there was a gap, so to speak, these were a little noisy in the midrange. But that is being very picky. Perhaps the newer JC1s 

The Veritas had unbelievable speed - so fast that they actually made the music seem a little artificial to my ears. Dead quiet, but everything had a "high tech" sheen to it. I tried different cables but to no avail. This wasn't a good match.

I wanted to like the XA25 as everyone seems to love it, and depending on the music format it might have been able to stay, but once I moved away from acoustic or folk type stuff to heavier rock, or larger scale music in general, the sound collapsed and it sounded like I was running out of gas with any kind of volume. 

The 150.8 was very close to the JC1s in terms of overall sound. The JC1s had a little more oomph and boogie factor, the 150.8 had a sweeter tone overall. Bass was great either way. The 150.8 might have had a little more rounded sound, the JC1s maybe a little deeper overall. 

The amp that has stayed on the rack is the Diablo 300. It seems to combine the best features of the other amps. It has fantastic drive - you don't run out of gas. It has musical and deep bass. It has a clean top end - maybe not as sweet as some of the others, but also not rigid or artificial. IMO, the Gryphon delivers pretty everything except that last 2% of tube midrange magic some of the best tube amps provide. 

Overall, I think the Aeris like having more power than the efficiency rating would seem to dictate. I have found great success with upgrading the power supply running the Wavelet, and even then upgrading the power cable running to the upgraded power supply. Before jumping amps, my suggestion would be to give that upgrade some serious consideration.  

Gentlemen - I guess I am being a little anal about this but I do like to have a plan in place that has a good chance of success. Then also to have a plan b, then c, ......... I don't know if it is "good" trait to have but it has served me pretty well in my career.

douglas_schroeder - thank you for your reply and valuable insights. I have always felt it is good to look at different experienced viewpoints. I have visited  Dagogo.com  and found it to be informative.

koslekt1 - I very much appreciate you sharing the experience you have with the Aeris speakers. You have imparted a few things :
Your experience with the CJ tells me that tubes can indeed mate well with with these speakers and that mono may well be the way to go. I'm not sure how the amps could affect the bottom end unless it was the way it melded at the crossover point? 
I have read other opinions of the Aeris liking more power and with my experience running the PL on the Focus, I am leaning in that direction. I think that it may be a characteristic of Legacy speakers in general.
One question though....
In reference to the Diablo, I see it is an integrated amp with quite impressive specs and reviews. Are you using it as a preamp and the Wavelet just for DSP or just using the amplifier output? This is one of my concerns using the PL preamp this way as I don't see a big benefit of converting the analog signl to digital, manipulating it, then converting back to analog.
Thanks again for your replies, they do help. 

I'm glad if any of my thoughts help you as you try to determine your next steps. 

It should be noted that I haven't tried tubes with the Aeris - I was referring to the Parasound JC1 monoblocks, the original version. I'm hearing wonderful things about the new updates, so as nice as the original versions sounded, perhaps the updated ones are even better. 

The Aeris likes power - there shouldn't be any second guessing that point. The soundstage collapses, things get crispy sounding, and things generally are less enjoyable as everything gets constricted.

I agree with Douglas in that I would use the PL if you like their sound. if nothing else, it sets a benchmark for you as you know what they sound like, and that will help you as you try other gear. 

In my current setup, I am using the Wavelet as the DAC and Preamp and simply using the 300 as an amplifier. I agree with you in that less processing seems like the better route to take.