Fourier Panthare opinions

I owned a pair as well and they are outstanding amps. They are a perfect mate with Electrostatics which I used them with for a short time.

I eventually sold them due to the commitment to keep them running properly. there were versions which had room for improvement such as soft start capabilities, and other things to put less stress on the tubes.

I spent one evening trying to locate a bad tube which was a 6 hour event which was the final straw. You must let the amp cool down and the volages to exit each time you power up and down.

I had a pair a few years back and the sonics were superb. I still have yet to hear the type of huge soundstage these amps threw, along with great bass and superb detail driving my Wilson Sophia speakers. I also used a pair of Zero autoformers to raise the impedance of the speakers, something you should strongly consider, especially if your speakers are a difficult load (i.e. low impedance, impedance dips, reactive load, etc.). The main drawbacks are their ability to double as a space heater--each monoblock draws 5 amps at idle, so you may want to consider a separate AC circuit for each. I also had problems with mine from time to time where one channel or other would get weak and fuzzy. I seemed to remedy this by cleaning each tube socket and re-tensioning the tube pin socket springs, which was a relatively easy but time-consuming job. If you are not into having to do what might turn out to be some maintenance on them, you may not want to go this route. If it were my choice I would stick to a current model like the Atma-Spheres, which have a reputation for far greater reliability. I also know a few other Panthere users who you might speak with, so if you e-mail me I will give you their e-mail addresses.

wow, are you looking at that pair for sale here? I have not seen a hit count as high before, 1 day 2500 views. FWIW, when I sold mine about 5 years ago, I had trouble finding a buyer and eventually only got $2500 for my pair.

thanks for everyones response thus far.

I own them for 4 years now. You really need an expert forn keeping these alive. They are like formula 1 racing cars. Patience and know how are key here. The most important caveat for having less trouble is a set of 8 6C33C tubes that are closely matched. All 8 need to have the same mA value! We decided to test the tubes our self.

Also the 6922 (2x) need to be closely matched. If all is well, the sound from this amp is breathtaking. They even drive my Avalon Ascent 5.5 ohm load wih ease. Volume is earsplitting. The sound stage is as big as the recording permits. Bass is tight. Dynamic swings are amazing, a dream come true.