Between three different amps for Paradigm Personas


Hi all, 

I'm designing an audio system for a new house that my family and I are building. We listen to music way more than we ever turn on the TV, so while I plan to incorporate it into a modest home theater system, I'm putting the vast majority of the money into the stereo setup. The construction is a ways from being complete but I've already gone through my first round of auditioning at my preferred hifi shop and am pretty smitten with the Paradigm Persona 3F. I compared them with some B&W 803 and 804 and preferred the Paradigms drastically more than either of those. I love a detailed, precise sound, but the B&Ws felt a bit too clinical, while the Personas had the same amount or more detail but were exciting. Dynamic contrast was incredible, and most importantly, I found myself grinning ear to ear while listening. 

Now, I have to start considering amping. The name of the game with this system is simplicity and ease of use. While I have patience with more complex setups, my family does not. For this reason, I'm really only considering integrated amps. I heard the 3F's with an Anthem STR integrated. When I go back, I'll also be pairing it with a Moon 340i, which I heard on the B&Ws but not the Paradigms.

That said, I'm also intriguided by Cambridge Audio's Edge A integrated. I thought my dealer carried Cambridge stuff but apparently not anymore. It seems to have a very similar DAC to the Moon, the implementation of their 'Class-XA' amping intrigues me (on paper at least), and I know that it's aesthetically appealing enough to appease those less concerned with sound quality than I am. The problem is, I can't easily demo it on the Persona as there are no shops near me that carry both the amp and the speakers. I could either buy it from another shop nearby with a 60 day demo/return window, but that means I have to take it into my other guy's store (which feels a bit weird to me, I'd have to think about it) or buy it blind (because I need to buy this all before the house is finished for the most part).

Herein lies my dilemma: I will go back to my store soon and demo the two amps I can there, the Moon 340i and the Anthem STR. I'm pretty set on the 3Fs, as they're the best I've heard and at the top of my price range, so I can't go up to the Persona 5Fs. Call it sacrilegious but I'm not necessarily opposed to buying an amp like the Cambridge without hearing it prior, but that's why I wanna talk about these three here since my ability to demo it is limited.

So, for everyone's context, here's my very brief thoughts on each: The Moon simply sounded wonderful and the smaller size was nice. The Anthem was cheaper, still sounded wonderful (if a bit less full and rich than the Moon), and the ARC room correction might be worth it for us since the room will be quite large, long, and have a side wall full of windows. The Cambridge looks great on paper (and in pictures), is well reviewed, etc.

Longwindedness aside, what do you all think? I'd be very grateful to hear from any Persona owners, anyone who has demoed any of the components I've mentioned, etc. I'm really excited to go forward, even if the demoing part isn't as straightforward as I wish it was.

Thanks all! 
bpryan
I may get the 3F (in a funky orange colour) for my office. Almost at the point of flipping a coin on the speaker choice. The other choice is the Yamaha NS 5000, everyone tells me NOT to get the Yamaha because it is too powerful for my room. I think it is a better speaker over the 3F. though I think the 3F is amazing and I also love it.

Here are some suggestions to you for the Persona 3F. You (and I) need to tame the Be drivers with warm electronics such as, new Krell XD, Parasound, Anthem STR, Pass Labs, Coda. I have others in my list but I have not heard those, Darthzeel, Thrax, Ypsilon. I plan on getting the CODA #16, a lot of talk about it recently on this forum.

I have heard the Persona 3F (and 5F) with the following:

SimAudio 860a - great sound but I think too neutral for long listening session. I was feeling a little bit of fatigue after almost 2 hours of loud tunes.

I then heard it with the much cheaper NAD electronics. This stuff was not the best gear but it still sounded very good for the price. No fatigue with loud long demo session.

Preamp/Streamer:
https://nadelectronics.com/product/m12-digital-preamp-dac/
https://nadelectronics.com/product/dd-bluos/

Amp:
https://nadelectronics.com/product/m22-stereo-power-amplifier/

Since you mentioned that your family may find an integrated more useful, look at the Krell XD integrated and the Paradigm STR integrated. Though I have heard from dealers here that the STR integrated is not as good as the STR separates. Those STR separates would likely be a 1 button press to turn everything on and off.

This is the Krell XD integrated.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/krell-k-300i-integrated-amplifier