Great Tube/SS Amp for Proac D40R ?


Hi,

I could use some help with what amp to power the Proac D40r's with.
Not sure if many have heard the D30R, D40R or K6 with ribbon tweeter but maybe even just some comparison between some of the amps would help.

I think I need at least 100wpc though they are pretty efficient.

I'd like to stick to anything below 6k used or new.

I'm thinking tube just because I think they would match up extremely well. Not because I'm against solid state so if you got a great ss in mind, by all means share.

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
audiosean
You should consider the Quicksilver V-4. I am very happy with this combination, see my system.
I have the D30R.. I use them with an Ayon Spirit MKIII.. If I had the D40R I'd certainly consider the Ayon Triton..

FYI Proac 's like tubes or pure Class 2 solid state..
Audiosean I would be interested to hear what you ended up with as an amp.

I'd also be interested in others experiences with D40R's.

I have just bought a pair and I'm currently using them with a Luxman L505U but I'm looking at other amps as a consideration.
I've now heard the D40R's with the Ayre K-5xe / V-5xe combo and that was very nice. Very full, neutral, slightly warm sound.
I can see how people are calling Ayre "tubby".
It was missing a touch of lively, pacing (a little soft) for that sort of connection but would overall beat many others.
Hopefully I'll be demoing the new AX-5 and VX-5 soon.

I'm looking into Plinius 103 (don't think I can demo this), Pass labs (not narrowed down a model, hopefully can demo)
I should be able to demo a VTL and Electrocompaniet soon.
I was looking at the Quicksilver V4 but can't demo it. I'll have a better idea of tube after the VTL.

I first heard the D40R's with a 300wpc class A and was blown away in clarity and pacing but missing just a touch of fullness.
From what I've heard so far these speakers "can" sound very nice with good clean lower power but "can" really shine with more.
I have a pair of Quicksilver V-4 amp (KT-77 or EL-34 tubes) driving my Proac Response 2.5. It is a great combination.

I have also heard the Quicksilver V-4 on the D-30R (KT-88 tubes)and I thought that also sounded great. I think Quicksilver is synergistic with Proac speakers. Additionally I have heard them with the Grommes, Leben, and Shindo amps. They sounded very good with all, but I like the additional power of the Quicksilver when you want to crank it up.

Quicksilver V-4. 120 watts into 4 or 8 ohms. The price new is $5595/pair with Tesla KT88s. I run KT-77 tubes in mine. They can use quite a few different tubes. They occasionally show up used on Audiogon.
I heard these at Arizona HiFi with the Grommes PHI-26 a 1.75wt triode/6 watt pentode amp.

amazing sound and made me wish i had the funds for them

I didn't but did buy the amp.
Great sounding speaker. I particularly like how well the ribbon integrates with the rest of the drivers--something quite rare with this type of driver.

I have heard these speakers with some fairly low-powered electronics, including the cheaper amps from the Italian company Synthesis. These speakers do not seem to need much power to fill a large room. I would NOT restrict choice to something that delivers 100 watts or more.

These speakers struck me as delivering a fairly rich and complete harmonic structure and are not lean sounding like a lot of modern speakers. This should make them pretty compatible with a wide range of electronics. For solid state, I like the lower-powered offering of Ayre. For tube amps, I would look at Synthesis, AudioSpace, Ayon, Joule, Atmasphere and Conrad Johnson.