I purchased a pair of Carbon 7 se mkii’s from John in 2022. They are paired with a Van Alstine power amp and preamp. They are lovely sounding speakers. Very engaging but not showy. They aren’t hyper detailed and just present as natural and relaxed but all the information in the music is there .
I think they are designed to be friendly with pretty much all amplifiers and will be just as happy with a more budget amp as with an super refined amp.
John has a very generous trial policy so testing the waters to see if they’re right for you is easy.