I agree with Gregm's comments about the Avanti's. I have a pair of Avanti III's matched with a Berning ZH270 amplifier with cryo'd nos tubes. The Berning is a kind of OTL design (no transformer) and is very fast with great bass, wonderful midrange, and clean highs. It is really a terrific combination, and I think the Berning deserves to be on your short list if amps. I think someone on audiogon has paired the Tenor 75 amps with the Avanti, and I'll bet that is spectacularly good - the Tenor's are the best amps I have ever heard. My personal opinion is that it is critical to get the amp-speaker combination right first, then build the front end components, then the cabling etc. By the way, I am not using a preamp, because the Berning has an a/b selector switch and a volume control. If you have only two sources, this is great way to go. If you need remote volume control, Placette makes a passive volume control that is completely transparent.
One interesting thing I have noticed about my setup is that I get really good, clean bass from the Avanti's. One factor may be that I have them on a hardwood floor, and they have a down firing bass port on the bottom of the speakers.
Good luck on your quest. Let us know what you end up with and how it sounds.
One interesting thing I have noticed about my setup is that I get really good, clean bass from the Avanti's. One factor may be that I have them on a hardwood floor, and they have a down firing bass port on the bottom of the speakers.
Good luck on your quest. Let us know what you end up with and how it sounds.