Amplifier matching with omega super Alnico Monitors.

@borg7x9 

Myron, I have been running Omega speakers for the last four years or so, and still do. I had the Omega SAMs for a few years, and now I still have the 3i, but in my main system, I am running the incredible SAM HOs.  From my extensive experience, the Omegas only get better as you place better gear in front of them.

You don't say what your budget is, so I will drop two recommendations for you that are my favorites.  For tubes, I can't recommend highly enough the Coincident M300b Frankenstein MKII monoblocks.  These can easily be the end-all of amps for me on my HOs, they are that good.  In fact, this is the first amp that I can, and do, actually use without a preamp (vol controlled by DAC). I never, ever liked my music without a preamp, but that has changed with the Franks.

For a more "budget" approach, I loved a Red Dragon S500 class D amp with the Omegas, but with a tube preamp in front.  I would have kept the S500, but I needed the $$ for the Franks above. It's class D done right, and I actually preferred it to a highly regarded class A amp.

Hope this helps!

@borg7x9 

Hey Myron, if I was in your shoes, and since this is for a secondary system, you won't need anything more than the Red Dragon. No worries with tubes, heat, or anything else like that, just glorious music. As I mentioned above, the S500 is worthy of being in the main system, and has been my main amp for a year or two until I put the Franks in.

i owned the 2wpc Decware SE84UFO amps two separate times, first for my SAMs, then for my SAM HOs. Great sounding amps, which is why I owned them twice, but I could not live with only 2wpc. Ran out of gas too soon on both, even with simple music, albeit in my big room (25' wide x open, with a vaulted ceiling). The 8 wpc Franks sound much more powerful than they really are, and I am able to use them just fine, but I do have the low bass running to a sub instead of thru the Omegas.

I have not heard any Line Mag amps, so I would be curious on your impressions of the LM with the Omegas. I bet they will be a sweet match!

@seanheis1 That may be so, but I can tell you that I much preferred the Red Dragon S500 to a First Watt F7 in a direct comparison in my system a few months ago. I owned both together at the same time, and kept the RD. I wanted to F7 to be a keeper, but it did not sync in my system very well. It rolled off the highs and was too soft (less dynamic, less engaging) compared to the S500.

@borg7x9 For all day running, I would never go with a tube amp or a class A ss amp! Class D is perfect for that!

I agree with most of what @seikosha says in his response above, especially the part where he says "no, there's nothing wrong with these highs".  I may be more sensitive to brightness and etched highs, but I feel that the highs on my SAM HOs (1.5 ways) are as good as I want them to be, i.e. they have all the air, detail, and shimmer that I want, but with the addition of the coherence that a single driver gets you. The first cut on Santana's Abraxas (Singing Winds, Crying Beasts) is the cut I use to benchmark what I am hearing on the highs. The chimes should sound very holographic, with tons of color, varied tonality, and air, and you should "feel" the fingers running through them, making them sing. Goosebump territory! The Omegas do this for me.

As far as bass goes, I purposefully offload the low bass from the Omegas to a subwoofer for a few reasons. 1- The Omegas are not designed to be bass monsters, and my bass response in the spots where I have the best imaging and midrange is terrible. Enter the subwoofer! 2- Trying to reproduce low bass on a single driver may introduce distortion on the rest of the range. I've heard this myself. And finally, 3 - I get better efficiency from my 8wpc SET monoblocks when send the bass range to my sub, and let the SET amps deal with the all important midrange and the highs.  Hope this helps!