Build a new system around pair of Snell Alll's?

Excellent! have fun, and don't forget to bring some of your favorite music.

Most of my CDs are in storage but picked up a few used of my fav's last night. Have some apple lossless on my iPhone as well to play through the DAC they have. (sonus?)

As I consider the possiblility of tubes in my life, the comfort zone comes up as a tube Pre. There's a ARC Ref 3 listed now and the data on it seems appealing. Should have a report on the days adventure later.
Thanks.

I have two pairs of A3's. They can sound good with Tube or SS, but need a ton of power. I have tried 100 watt tube and SS amps, and they can sound nice, but just are not enough juice.

And the best way to do it (tube or ss) is to vertically biamp the snells. Seperating the power going to the upper cabinet makes a huge difference in imaging.

My choice of power would be a quartet of JC1 mono blocks.
If using tubes, would either get two stero amps or a 4 mono block tube amps, again with at least 150 - 200 per channel.

best

Well, I spent Monday afternoon listening to the Snells with three different systems in three different rooms and I can report – first and foremost – that they’re truly amazing speakers! Their openness, clarity and range was extremely impressive especially with the added power I’d never heard before. They’re behemoths but do they deliver! Wow.

My objectives for building a system around the Snells has expanded into the issue of introducing more warm, liquid, fluid sound into the live, neutral, clean sound to which I’ve become accustomed with the B&K and a fairly bright room. Thanks Frogman for pushing this. It’s really fun and enlightening.

The first system was the McIntosh C48 pre, MC452 amp and Rotel RCD1520 cd player. The room was the highly dampened room I visited earlier. This was not expected to be good for the Snells since they’re designed to be about 50-50 direct and “reverberant”. It was not. However, while the dynamic quality of the sound was quite muted, the staging was very noticeably deep and wide. The speakers disappeared. There was agreement among the listeners that this reflected a strength of the system. With the “dead” room, I felt it was an unfair venue for judging the “warmer” quality of the Mc but I still found myself wishing for more clarity and “live” feeling. While listening to the Royal Philharmonic Decca recording of Beethoven’s concerto for violin and orchestra in D with David Garrett, there was a very noticeable dulling of the bass. Timpanis I expect. I was concerned this was the speakers.

Second system was the intergrated Mcintosh Mc7000. Used the same Rotel cd player. This was set up in the best room in the store. Much more live and a good size for the Snells. Much better dynamics all around. Now, I’m really listening for the warmth thing. Went through the music I’d brought along and in the end, something was still missing for me. I just couldn’t get the softness everything seemed wrapped up in UNTIL I heard a vinyl (on a Rega?) of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. Then that wrapping became a harmony of all the elements in the recording. Everything had a place and was in it. It was wonderful.

Last system was the Classe 2300 with a CP 800 pre with built in DAC and the CDP 102 player. The room was more live than the first but not as balanced as the second. More open to other spaces. I admit that I expected the Classe setup to resolve the warmer issue for me right away. It did not. By this time, I’d gleaned some appeal of the warmer sound of the Mc’s and the Classe set up simply did not elicit the dynamic range that I’d clearly come to expect from the Snells.

Please forgive the lack of better info on the high, mids and lows performance; whether they were forward or backwards, full or clipped, etc. etc. It’s just beyond by current ability to discern and I was trying to take in as much as I could while not wanting to over extend my welcome at the shop. BTW, hats off and a big thanks to Josh, John and Brad at Modia here in Austin. They were really helpful, enthusiastic and welcoming of my search. Especially young Josh…he helped me load, set up and move those refrigerators around!

So, fresh from this experience, I was determined to hear some real tubes. Next day I went to hear a set up of an ARC Ref 5, ARC 150, ARC DAC8, a NAD cd transport with a Sonus airplay – driving a pair of Maggie 3.7’s. I brought the same music along. It was good. Real good. But I consistently felt I was reaching through to get to the experience of the music. Tomorrow or next day I take the Snells to hook them up with the ARC’s. There’s also a Bryston amp there.

BTW, listening to the Beethoven piece on the ARC set up, the timpanis were just fine

The journey and the fun continues…

Thanks for reporting back. I think what you are doing is just great, and an invaluable experience. I am not surprised by your reactions/comments. We sometimes get used to excessive brightness and think it is more lifelike or "live"; until we hear how right music sounds without it. Your reaction to the vinyl setup is, likewise, as expected. I think you are definitely on the right track to putting together a killer system; you are openminded and willing (and able) to reconsider your preconceptions. Have fun and please keep reporting back.