best amplifier to drive my Quad 988 speakers


I RECENTLY PURCHASED A PAIR OF QUAD 988 SPEAKERS ALONG WITH
THE QUAD 909 POWER AMP AND 99 QAUD PREAMP. I FEEL THAT THE
SPEAKER IS NOT PERFORMING UP TO ITS CAPABILITIES. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN IN. IN SHORT, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE
THAT CAN RECCOMEND A POWER AMPLIFIER THAT WILL DRIVE THE
QUADS TO THEIR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL. I WOULD PREFER A QUAD OWNER TO RESPOND. THANKS
kjl
Kjl,

You are absolutely right on. The 988s and 989s can deliver much more than the Quad amps/preamps bring out in them. I am about to purchase the 989s. I heard them first with a Plinius SA 102 amplifier, Plinius preamp and was STUNNED. I subsequently listened to both 989s and the 988s with Quad electronics. A fizzle by comparison. I am making a joint purchase of 989s plus Plinius SA 102 amp next week. I will be using my Pass Labs X-1 preamp, every bit as good as the Plinius pre and then some.

Be certain that you look into the SA 102, not the 100 and not the 250 Watt Plinius either. The SA 102 is a very special amplifier. For an interesting brief summary see the Plinius SA 102 writeup at galen carols website: http://www.gcaudio.com. Also do a search on this amplifier in the Audiogon archives, it will yield interesting results.

Please note, I could care less about Plinius, per se. But when I hear a combination this special, my ears do the talkin'.
The above suggestion is good. A goldmund integrated ...100-150 watts would be very nice. On the tube side...some of the EL34 based amps of around 30-50 watts would sound great.
I was fortunate enough to demo a pair of 988's driven by a pair of Air Tight ATM-300. The experience was amazing.