Focal 1037be's Amp Suggestions ???

IMO, JM Lab's require more power than their specs and suggested amplifier power range would indicate, if you want them to come to life. My Mini Utopias have an efficiency rating a little over 91db. I was powering them with 70W conrad johnson amps but never felt like I was getting their best. So, when a 200W cj became available, I called Focal to see if they thought this might yield the results I was looking for. They told me that 70W was more than enough and that the impact of more power would be negligible - maybe a "little more oomph". Well, I made the change and got a lot more oomph and then some. They sound like much bigger speakers; they play louder with more detail, better sound-stage, and unravel complex lines without effort. It's like the difference between driving a sub-compact and a big Cadillac on the expressway.

I don't think I'll ever really understand why a Watt isn't just a Watt, or at least, why one Watt sounds more powerful than another.

Going back some years, a dealer I was friendly with sold both JM Lab and BAT. I walked in one day and caught him demonstrating, to a prospective customer, how much more effortlessly the Mezzo Utopias played powered by a pair of BAT VK-60s in mono block(120W), than they sounded with the VK-300x. As I recall, there was no contest.

"Phaelon, I thought more power would bring them to life. At low volumes they sound good. Crank them up and the sound just looses it's zeal."

Zenieth, that echos what I experienced with my speakers. I almost never listened to rock because of it. My new amps rock. If you like your speakers, don't lightly abandon them, give them what they crave - POWER!

Zenieth, I have a passion for older small scale jazz, classical piano, etc. So, I personally can't imagine my system without tubes. That said, if I were almost exclusively a rocker, I would probably go with a big solid state rig, and if you like the sound of BAT, there is a VK-600se on Agon right now for $6500. That outta shake thing up a bit.

In retrospect, and as Raquel pointed out, that is one "BIG" room you have there. Also, my "rock n roll" standards are probably less critical than yours. While I still suspect that you'll ultimately want a big amp(s) to rock your room, different speakers might be needed. I've heard some good things about the PBN line of speakers from other rockers.