Amplifier Pairing with Coherent 15s

As a follow up to this since its been a few months...

I actually decided on going with the Coherent 18 speakers instead of the 15s, and I put a deposit down on a pre-amp and amplifier combo the other day and decided to go with Aric Audio.

Preamp - Super 6SN7 Linestage
Amplifier - Super 2A3 SET

This set pretty much tops out my budget, but after speaking with another Coherent 18 owner who loves them, talking with Aric, and looking into reviews, they seem like a great choice.

Other than that, a major selling point for me is that they are made in the US. I'm not really a 'made in US' only buyer (clearly, given the Coherents are Canadian), but for tube amplifiers, I prefer for peace of mind when it comes to potential future repairs. I've read many horror stories about amplifiers made overseas and trying to get service done being not only a huge hassle, but expensive with shipping and long down time.

Going the separates route will also give me greater flexibility with amp experimentation in the future, should I want to try out different SET amplifiers, since it's often easier to come across stereo/mono amps versus integrated with SET.

Coherent 18 + Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Linestage + Super 2A3 SET = pretty sure this is going to expedite your journey to Nirvana. I was waiting for some Coherent’s to pop up on the used market, but it seems like owners rarely let go of them which seems like a testament to how they sound. I’ve been eyeing that Super 6SN7, too. Regardless, stellar selections, sir.

@toro3 I certainly hope so! Definitely will be a big step up from what I am using now, but it was just temporary anyway. :)

I also was checking on Coherents on the used market - but only saw stuff pop up very rarely - mainly 12s from what I saw - and mostly due to people stepping up the line. A great sign! I've been dealing with Frank directly and he's been a joy to work with.

@mmcgill829 

Any updates on the 18's?

@bjesien Not quite. I ended up asking for them to be held until early January to ship as it was getting into a time crunch before I was out of town for the holidays. I was supposed to receive them last week (they've been in the shipping process for a bit now), but the winter weather that swept across the US last week delayed it for some days. They're currently in a warehouse about 30 minutes from me waiting on last mile delivery appointment - should get that call on Monday.

A bit down to the wire - I go out of town on business for three weeks this upcoming Wednesday - though no fault of Frank. The weather threw a wrench in delivery.

I'll likely get them and get them set up the night before I leave for some weeks, so it will likely be after I get back before I can really enjoy them. The good news is, I received my amplifier and pre-amplifier from Aric earlier last week and have them set up. So, the speakers are the final piece to the puzzle now. The anticipation is killing me!!