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Valve Amp for Sonus Faber Sonetto IIIs

I'm looking to move into the enticing but deeply confusing world of valve amplification. The more I read online the more bewildered I become. The SF Sonetto III's that I own are 89db sensitivity and 4ohm nominal impedance and I've seen the suggested amplifier output given as anything from 50W to 250W. Can anyone enlighten me as to realities of the situation. I don't play music at ear-bleeding levels, mostly it's classical--chamber to opera, jazz, and acoustic, although I sometimes get nostalgic for my lost youth and play King Crimson and Jethro Tull.

I'm currently looking at the Sinfonia & Triode amps from Unison Research, the McIntosh MA252, and the Synthesis Roma 510AC. 

Any thoughts or advice (of the idiot's guide variety preferably) others may have will be gratefully received.

grauerbar
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 

the best audio research amplifier you can buy

calieng
144 posts
 

I do not believe there is much advantage in using tubes with lower efficiency speakers. Tubes really shine in single ended triode configuration (300B tubes for example) into a high efficiency horn speaker at preferably 8ohms not 4ohms.

In my case I have a 300B tube amp into Klipsch Forte IV at 99db that sounds so holographic and realistic and musical.

When I tried KT88 and KT150 tubes into my Dynaudio speakers at about 86db and 6ohm it still sounded very good but not necessarily better than my Luxman Class A solid state amp or my Naim Class AB amp. So not much advantage to tube amp in that configuration IMHO.

 

ghdprentice
7,038 posts
 

@jjss49 

+1

I power my Sonus Faber Amati Traditional with Audio Research REF 160s in triode mode… so 70Watts per channel…. They can be played a lot louder (and sound good) that I ever want to hear them. 
 

One of the known synergistic combinations is Sonus Faber and Audio Research. Detailed, big soundstage, great imaging and midrange bloom and excellent bass. 
 

Once I switched to tube amps, I realized I never wanted to go back.

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,519 posts
 

I think a lower power tube amp would be a bit under powered for your loudspeakers and big tube amps make a lot of heat and can be costly to run. How about a Unico Nuovo hybrid? Sweet sounding from what I hear. 

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