Quote:
Originally Posted by RLF
Further updates:
I came back to my dealer a second time to audition the AF with an Ayre VX-5 Twenty, once again using my own music. Since my first audition, my dealer made some adjustments to the room. He did not specify what changes were made and I forgot to ask.
Both my wife and I were quite surprised how well the Ayre sounded powering the AF. The bass was quite strong and the midrange and upper end also sounded quite good, though maybe not as good as with the standard ARC Ref 75? At this point I was still undecided, so the next day I brought my own ARC Ref 75SE to my dealer for yet another audition. Both my wife and I (and my dealer) were amazed how much powerful my Ref75SE sounded in comparison to the standard Ref 75. Of course some of this might have been due to the changes made to the room too? When I asked my non-audiophile wife which amp she liked best, she was unsure and said that both sounded good, just different.
Anyway, I was convinced enough to pull the trigger and purchase a red/black satin Amati Futura which should arrive sometime in mid-August. 
Once my new AF are broken-in, my dealer will come back out to my home to make final adjustments in placement. .
By the time that my new speakers arrive, I should have my Ayre back with the Twenty upgrade so I should be able to compare both amps with the Amati Futura to see which one I ultimately like more. Probably the Ref 75SE?
Again thanks to all those who provided helpful replies to my thread including Bill. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas
I heard the Ref 75SE with the Strads. The overall sound quality was great with awesome mids and good stage height. Bass, however, was very uncontrolled and fat. I think it will be very similar with the Amati's, not recommended.
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Although this is an old thread, I will bring it back to life and share my final decisions on an amp to power my Amati Futuras.
Douglas, you are right. While the ARC Ref 75SE is an awesome amp, I home auditioned and subsequently bought a pair of Ayre MX-R Twenty monoblocks to drive my SF Amati Futuras. These amps really make my Amati’s sing and now I realize that these speakers need a high powered amp to really strut their stuff. While my Ayre VX-5 Twenty sounded nice, it lacked the ultimate, power, finesse, and sweetness of the Ayre R series monoblocks.
Again, thanks to all who gave their input to this thread. It’s most appreciated.