I have had my 10T's since I bought them new in 2001 for $6,900 (with the Sound Anchor stands). Something equivalent would be at least $15K today. Fantastic, musical speaker. It's recommended that you have a high current amp with min 200 watts to get them to light up, so that Rotel has got to go. I started with a 300w Classe SS amp, which I thought sounded good, but after that darn bought-new amp broke down for the second time in 2 years, I replaced it with a Krell FPB400cx (400w of Krell muscle). That's what I'm talkin' about - now they sing. Bass is tight, where the only ding the 10T's got in the reviews back in the day was they can be a tiny bit tubby, and goes really low. And don't believe that crap about Krells being bright - maybe that was true for early models, but they're nice and smooth - just depends on what's upstream. Find a used Krell with at least 300w and those Ariels will be very happy. You can use it with tube preamp's if you choose - there's a jumper inside that you change. I tried it with an ARC pre, and it was very nice. Now I'm using a Krell KCT preamp - which for me is a nice combination. There's something to be said for going with a stack from the the same vendor - you get what the designers were going for. All the best to my 10T owner brethren!
Aerial 10T Mk2 - Suitable Amplifier?
Audiophile newbie here. I found a mint pair of Aerial Acoustic 10T (Mk2) speakers at an estate sale. They came with Kimber 8-strand (per polarity) cables (4 cables for bi-wiring) and a Rotel RB-971 (70 watts/channel) solid-state amp. Sound sources are connected via the preamp stage of a Denon DRA297 (no speaker cables connected to the Denon). I’m delighted with the speakers, which eclipse the Vandersteen Model 1 pair that are now my TV speakers. Audiophile friends have made amp suggestions including bi-amping. I’m hoping for suggestions from Audiogon members regarding amp (or preamp and amp) selections that would bring out the best in the Aerials.