ARC with B&W 801's?

I owned the 801 Series II for many years and not until I spent a small fortune on a powerful Goldmund solid state amp did I tame the boomy, tubby almost overpowering bass on the 801's. Previously I had been using an ARC D-300 solid state amp, preceded by a British Fidelity monster heat-producing class A solid state amp. I haven't heard the M100's w/them but during the period I owned my 801's, two other audio pals who also owned them gave up on tubes and hooked them up to mega solid state. I think that's the accepted doctrine on the 801's, but you can always go against convention and try your M100's.

The Matrix series is NOT a good match for tube amps. The crossover desing requires lots of current and they do sound at their best with a high power SS amp, like Krell. I own the matrix 803s and use the Pass X-250 that really makes them sing.

I agree that the 801 II or III's sound best with solid state. I ran my 801 III's with a Krell KSA-250 and it controlled the bass superbly. The 801 is only 87 db per watt of input, so the solid state is superb. Pass, Krell or Levinson would suffice. Good luck.