Thank you all very much for an excellent advice; it's greatly appreciated.
To answer the questions posed, right now I'm leaning toward a 300B SET amp, and actually considering the very amp Charles has, i.e., the Frankenstein from Coincident. I've also been looking at Border Patrol amps, but I think they may be out of my price range when all is factored in. I do not have any experience with the 845 tube (or any other tubes Charles listed, as a matter of fact). I do have some concern about a SET amp not possessing enough steam to offer satisfactory dynamics and punch for rock, which is about 50% of my listening. From what I'm reading, a Coincident speaker or the Orangutan may be a better pairing than the Athena or the Argos. I've read Charles' posts in other threads before posting this one, and it sounds like one can hardly go wrong with a pair of the Franks and a Coincident speaker, especially the SV.
The room size is roughly 20'X12.5'x9', but the long end opens up into an additional 10' by 12.5 kitchen area separated by a large column and a mini bar counter jutting out from the side wall. So it's a decent size room, I'd think.
I spoke with Lou a while ago and he was willing to put me in touch with Daedalus owners in my area, so I may reach out to him again, and possibly Israel, to see if an audition could possibly be arranged.
To answer the questions posed, right now I'm leaning toward a 300B SET amp, and actually considering the very amp Charles has, i.e., the Frankenstein from Coincident. I've also been looking at Border Patrol amps, but I think they may be out of my price range when all is factored in. I do not have any experience with the 845 tube (or any other tubes Charles listed, as a matter of fact). I do have some concern about a SET amp not possessing enough steam to offer satisfactory dynamics and punch for rock, which is about 50% of my listening. From what I'm reading, a Coincident speaker or the Orangutan may be a better pairing than the Athena or the Argos. I've read Charles' posts in other threads before posting this one, and it sounds like one can hardly go wrong with a pair of the Franks and a Coincident speaker, especially the SV.
The room size is roughly 20'X12.5'x9', but the long end opens up into an additional 10' by 12.5 kitchen area separated by a large column and a mini bar counter jutting out from the side wall. So it's a decent size room, I'd think.
I spoke with Lou a while ago and he was willing to put me in touch with Daedalus owners in my area, so I may reach out to him again, and possibly Israel, to see if an audition could possibly be arranged.