Cary CAD-805C driving horn speakers?

Interesting question. A couple of years ago I was considering the Avantgarde Duo and lugged my Cary 805AE's into a dealer for a listen. There were more than a few issues with the way the dealer set up the speaker - room too small, did not get a good match between the subwoofer and the horns, etc. But I discovered that the amp was a very good match for the speaker.

I got to listen to another Avantgarde with a variety of different amps, and was surprised by how sensitive these speakers are for quality amplification. An Audio Note Oto SE simply sounded dull and lifeless. A Graaf 20W OTL sounded much better - more detail and better dynamics, but was a bit too forward.

The Cary 805AE was in a different room, so not strictly comparable. But the dynamics were something else - VERY impressive. The tone was typical Cary 805 - a touch on the bright side, magical top end, and very sweet.

I am not sure how the 805C compares to the 805AE, but I think it would be a good match.

I've used my 805Cs with high sensitivity Zingali horns without any noise issues. The amps will change character with your choice of output tubes, though - despite the consistent specs of 845s and 211s. IME, the former take things a bit "dark", while the latter tilt toward a more "forward" presentation. The effect has been pretty consistent and you should consider trying both tubes with your speakers to see which you prefer.

Second Brf's take.Should be excellent together,cheers,Bob

These amps are really 25W class A with the ability to put out 50w in A1 mode. They are dead quiet and very nice. I have not heard these amps with Avantgardes, but I have heard them on other high eff horns and they sounded nice. If you do buy the 805C, I would look at getting them re-capped with Mundorf Gold / Silver and oil caps...WOW!