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Cary 805 questions; with Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers

I just bought a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers (92 dB efficient but some impedance dips in bass and treble). Looking for a good tube amplifier. I use a Thor TA-1000 preamp and listen to mostly vinyl (Sota Star Sapphire, Koetsu Rosewood Signature. Half jazz, the rest split between blues, classical and rock. I am quite allergic to any treble brightness but appreciate treble extension if it doesn't create fatigue. That said, I prioritize a rich, real midrange, and like a somewhat laid back stage perspective.

Stereophile described the Amati load as "The speaker is a moderately demanding load, however, as can be seen from its plots of impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle against frequency (figs.1 and 2). With a maximum of 7.8 ohms, but a value below 6 ohms in the midrange and below 4 ohms in the bass and high treble, a good 4 ohm-rated amplifier will be called for."

I appreciate any thoughts about other tube amps that might be good with the Amati's. Also I have questions about Cary 805 monos in particular because I have a chance to buy a pair locally:

1. Do the 805s have a forward presentation?
2. Do the 805 create "larger than life" images? I owned them for a short time quite a while ago and recollect that images were very big.
3. Does anyone know if they would work well with the Amatis?

thanks for any thoughts!
montaldo

Showing 1 response by kalali

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
"...I wondered whether what is expected by the numbers always manifests itself the way you might expect, in the reproduction of actual music. "

Quick answer is no. Measurements are not always an (only) indicator of how the "system" will sound. Might be a good starting point but you need to listen and trust your ears. A McIntosh MC275 VI paired with a good tube preamp, McIntosh or otherwise, will probably sound much better than the aforementioned Cary.
I've heard a couple of different Sonus Faber large floor standing models paired with Pass XA100.5 amplifiers and they sounded fantastic. I think they were using an Aesthetix preamp, not sure which model.
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