Amps for Focal Maestros

Two options that are very interesting:

Chord Ultima 3s - these are much warmer than prior Chord amps which were notoriously bright.  There switching power supply and auxiliary rail allow them to handle shockingly low impedances.  Preamp here will matter.  You are going to want a warm preamp to pair with it.  Not sure what you are using now.  The price on these at the moment is amazing and I can’t mention it publicly but it is on one pair and is a first come, first serve situation.  You can add in a brilliant, warm preamp to go with these and be below budget.  

AVM Ovation MA 8.3 - 1100w of power into 8 ohms, a proprietary tube input stage that doesn’t need replacement and a warmth that will make a tube lover happy.  I have heard a pair of these driving Magicos without issue and currently have a pair on order for a customer with Kef’s.  The list is $34,900 but these easily could be your end game amps.  

There’s a Clayton S2000 available on US Audio Mart.  Wonderful, sweet, full-sounding Class A, and with 600Wpc into 4Ohms I don’t think you’ll need to worry about power.  Best of luck in your search. 

I use Krell FPB 450mcx monos with my Focal Maestro. They make deep, powerful and articulate bass. 1800 watt pure class A at 2 Ohm.

Went to a local dealer to listen again to the Focals with Naim 500 series and Mac 1.25kW.  Was very interesting in that the Naim system sounded absolutely fantastic this time (I had previously had a quick listen and did not think they were anything special). Bass was of course improved, but the most impressive thing was the sound stage.  I've never heard such a wide and deep presentation.  The rep said it was largely a function of speaker positioning in addition to the electronics.  I was able to make some improvements to my current system based on his tips.  Houston Audio really did a great job setting everything up ahead of time.  Definately will buy from them if the Naims prove to be the winners.

The Macs were another story.  At almost 10 times the rated power of the Naims, they sounded muffed, dull and lifeless.  The rep said many people prefer the sound I found uninspiring.  To each their own for sure.  I'm not at all trashing Mac as I've heard them with B&Ws for example and thought it was an outstanding sound.  Apparently they match very well with Sonus Faber.

I really wanted to hear the Ayre MX-R Twenties, so headed next to the dealer for them.  Unfortunately, they do not carry any Ayre in stock for audition and do not plan to get any.  It is so difficult to get any listening done these days...

That dealer had a system available with Wilson Alexia 2s, D'agostino Momentum monos and preamp. It was the worst system I have ever heard!  The bass was prodigious, but the tonality was way off.  Piano sounded more like electric bass and was slow and muddy.  I was so surprised I mentioned it to the rep and he agreed.  He said it was because they had not yet calibrated the cables, which were Transparent Opus cables for like $60k!  I cannot believe this system did not have some other issue as I know the combination is highly regarded.  The room was a bad setup, but that was not the main cause of what I heard.  Maybe it was the cables, but wow, not good.

So for now, Naim is the front runner, but just because it is so difficult to audition.  I do have a rep willing to bring out Lamm for an in home listen, but find myself wishing for audio shows to return.

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Dave and troy
Audiointellect nj