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Tube pre/power combo for Rockport Aviors

I have a pair of Rockport Aviors on order that should arrive sometime in Jan. The Conrad Johnson CT 5 pre and CJ LP 70S power (70 wpc) that I have at present may not have enough juice to do justice to the Aviors. Given the limited availability of brands/dealers in my part of the world,I have shortlisted 3 pre/power combos :
1. Conrad Johnson GAT and ARTsa(140 wpc)
2.ARC 5SE and Ref 150 or Ref 250 monos
3. VTL 7.5 mk 3 pre and 450 MB series3
The Aviors will replace a pair of Quad 2905s that I have enjoyed for 6+ years. My musical tastes extend to the whole spectrum from large orchestral works, chamber music, rock, blues, Indian music but strictly no Rap or Country. The preferred source is vinyl.
Ideally I would love to stay with the CJ line as I like the sonics though I suspect this may not be possible.I am not looking for recommendations per se but to those Agoners who have experience of any of these brands either through ownership or extensive listening etc. I have been fortunate to be in contact with some knowledgeable Agoners .
Many thanks and festive cheer
Pradeep
128x128sunnyboy1956
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Let me rephrase the question. I am not looking to owners of Rockport Aviors to share their experience ; I reckon I will have to wait a long time for that given the very few pairs out there. Instead , what electronics(tube only) work with speakers with a broadly similar sonic footprint eg Wilson Audio- Sophias, Sashas and the like. Alternately, users/potential owners of ARC Ref 5SE and Ref 250 mono blocs or CJ GAT or VTL,what swayed you in that direction to make a purchase or contempate one. Any specific musical traits that a particular tube pre/power signifies or excels in compared to some others.
I am in NYC on a short vacation and will try to demo the units on my short list. Would deeply appreciate the views/comments of Agoners who have walked this path
Cheers
Pradeep
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
I"ve heard these Rockport Aviors extensively in Austin. Big congratulations, these are a FANTASTIC speaker and really makes one wonder why you ever need to spend more money. They do a few things my Wilson Maxx 3's don't do for 1/2 the price! The transparency and natural presentation is world class in the Rockports..

The amps I heard them with are the Nagra 300b and VPA's along with Ayre MXR's. I think they are going to transmit the sound you put into them...so all of your combo's above will likely work great....the electronic signature will absolutely come through. All combo's I heard above were using a Nagra PLL

I do tend to like preamps based around the 12ax7 or 6922 tube types. I have not heard the recent ARC Ref 5 or 5se however. I did hear the VTL preamp a few time...and felt like something (to me) was a tad hard or not quite so natural in the treble area. I think heard the same system with a Absolare pre amp (12au7 based i think) and it was phenomenal.

Good luck with your pre/amp auditions...please post back as you hear various combos!
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Hi John
Many thanks. I should get a peek and hopefully a listen to the VTLs in NYC today. Nagra...why did I not think of that. I have a Nagra dealer in New Delhi but a demo may not be possible.
Will post my impressions.
Cheers
vicdamone
850 posts
 
Excellent choice. My tube amp experience is limited to Marantz 8B, 9s, and just recently Carver VTA 180s powering Avalon Eidolons. It was difficult to find a tube amp to drive the Eidolons after years of solid state.

While the Carvers live up to the few reviews they've had the other amps I liked with my speakers were the VAC 450S. I think the VAC 450 series would be worth your time to consider and audition if only to gain perspective over your current short list.
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