Best amp for Avalon Eidolon speakers?


Just bought a pair of Avalon Eidolon speakers through Audiogon (they're glorious !) and am looking for an ideal amplifier match. I've heard Accuphase and Jeff Rowland Model 12s mentioned as good matches. At present I have a Theta Dreadnaught II 5-channel amp with a Lexicon 12B preamp, and Nordost SPM cables and interconnects. I listen mostly to classical, jazz, and vocals. Any suggestions?
lloydj

Showing 4 responses by flex

I second the Spectrals if you're interested in fast solid state. Very musical, great staging, uncolored, and beautifully detailed. The monoblocks need a Spectral preamp and MIT cables, however Spectral makes an amp that can be used with any other components (DMA-150S) and reputedly has much of the capability of the monoblocks.
A follow-up on Shubertmaniac's preamp comment. It sounds from your post as though you are doing the mains of a 5 channel system. The DMC-30sl preamp has analog pass throughs and is built to be part of a home theater setup.
Congratulations by the way on your Eidolons.
Agreed, Nar com. The Tenor and Lamms were shown with Kharmas at CES. It's very unlikely that the Tenors could drive the Eidolons well, though others have occasionally reported good synergy between the Eidolons and Jadis or CAT tube amps that are also probably underpowered.
Lloyd,
I honestly don't believe there is a single best amp for Eidolons. Provided you give them enough power and current, Eidolons are so neutral that they will reflect whatever character is passed to them. In that case, it is mainly a matter of choosing the amp sound and price point you prefer. I've heard reports of success with nearly every (larger) solid state amp made, and with a goodly number of tube amps too.