Solid State Power Amps

I now own the Michi 8 power amps, check out my review in the Members review section.

Audiogon Discussion Forum

ozzy

Why don't you look at the SIM audio 861 It's in your price range and SIM audio makes some of the best amps out there.

SimAudio and the Be driver on the Focal may not be a great match. I heard the 860A V2 on Paradigm Persona 5F. While I enjoyed the sound I knew I could not listen for long periods.

For a Be driver, I would look at Class A like the KRELL Duo 175XD (or the rumored new model) or the CODA #16. The new CODA S5.5 that people are raving about is also something to consider if the speaker does not need a lot of power. I have the CODA #16 and had the KRELL. Great amps, though I wonder if the SimAudio 861 would be a better match with my slightly warm Yamaha NS5000 over the CODA #16.

JA: "The Focal will play loudly when fed only a few watts, my estimate of its voltage sensitivity being 89.2dB/2.83V/m. However, as fig.1 shows, the Sopra No.3 is a difficult load for an amplifier to drive, with a minimum magnitude of 2.75 ohms at 96Hz and a combination of 4 ohms and a –56° electrical phase angle at 68Hz, both frequencies where music can have high levels of energy. Because the magnitude is considerably higher in the treble, the speaker will sound brighter when driven by tubed amplifiers, with their typically high output impedances."

@hilde45 Its pretty clear that JA has no idea of what he's talking about. If the tube amp employs feedback (and most do) then there will be no brightness.