Okay, Classe CA 2200 or and Ayre V -5xe amps

The Ayre is NOT bright, but open and truthful, so it will point out brightness in other parts of your system/room. Acoustical treatment of the first reflection points in your room

I do agree that the Ayre rooms sounded poor (harsh and dead) at the last two RMAFs. However, the room that had the Ayre equipment paired with Transparent cables this year sounded better. I think it is the Cardas cables that Ayre prefers that ruins the sound. Pity, because that is not at all how their equipment sounds in my system/room.

Consider Bryston SST squared amps also if you are open to more alternatives.

Oops, meant to write "Acoustical treatment of the first reflection points in your room will solve this (and greatly improve imaging)." in the prior post.

I've got the Ayre V5xe with my Avalon Indras, and it is a great combination. They Ayre isn't aggressive at all, nor is it dry or flat or harsh or any of those things often attributed with solid state. It makes a great soundstage and has a very musical, natural uncolored sound. It does not run very hot at all, if that's a consideration. I've read some people write that it can be a bit light on the bass, but the Indras are that as well, and I don't note that in a significant way. Many friends have been impressed with the Ayre - Indra combination, and it's nice that it's so low maintenance - I leave it on all the time.

I've also got VTL 450's - and while different, I'm not sure which I prefer more with my Avalons. They are both very good.

Kurt - thanks for you Lamm summary - I am considering a major amplifier step up for my Indras and my thoughts were going to the Lamm or the Ayre MX-R.

I've listened at length to the V5Xe, in my own system for a week, and then in Peter_S's system, as well as in one other system. I was very taken with the sound and would also never have thought it to be on the aggressive side. Very well balanced and effortless, with a silky midrange and good soundstaging. I'd agree with Peter that it's not the last word in low end, and that's the only weakness it may have, but it does everything else pretty damn well. If you're sticking to American-made SS I'd also include the Modwright KWA 150 on your short list (disclaimer: Dan is a client of mine). That is the SS amp that caused me to give up an 8 year run of tube-amps only. I think it's a great SS amp with qualities I've seldom heard coming from an SS power amp. It renders some serious strong-arming in the bottom end without breaking a sweat, and yet presents a natural sounding midrange and soaring highs that really do combine the best of two worlds. It really kind of creates a category of its own, in my estimation, as I would not call it "tube-like" nor would I say that it sounded solid state (though it may be difficult to mistake the low-end authority for anything with tubes) I recently have been having the opportunity to bi-amp with KWA-150's in my system and the improvement of having two is addictive (bigger soundstage with greater detail and specificity, which is saying a whole lot as those are all qualities that a single KWA has in spades) and has me trying to figure out how to fit that second one somewhere in my small rack. There's a review by Srajan on 6moons that does a nice job of putting some of the best qualities into words. Peter is going to borrow the extra amp I have here to try out with his Indras so perhaps he (we, if I can make it over to his place) can comment on synergy there. My listening room is highly compromised (a work in progress, juggling the flaming WAF swords) while Peter's room is dedicated, purpose-designed, and is superb!

Ayre V-5xe amps are great! I had the big class A biased Krell/ ML/ Threshold and they were great, but the heat, all that class A; they are good for real impédance varied speakers, like the old Infinity Kappa 8/9; however, the Ayre is a good class A/B amplifier, it is very good with most of todays speakers