Help choosing an amp for Thiel 2.7s


I just upgraded from Thiel 2.2s to Thiel 2.7s and my source is both vinyl (VPI Scout) and digital (PeachTree Idac) through a Classe Model 6 Preamp and B&K EX 442 AMP – both recently recapped. I am looking to replace either the amp or both amp and pre-amp. My first trial was with a pair of Bel Canto REF500M. In many ways they sound amazing – tighter bass, more extended highs, much blacker background. My only hang-up is that they seem to lack some of the body (midrange presence) of the B&K. As an example when playing Stevie Ray Vaughn my daughter asked why the guitar had moved so far to the background. Is there any way to have my cake and eat it too – or are these necessary trade-offs at my budget -- $5000 for the amp?

Any advice would be very appreciated
kadlec

Showing 3 responses by bdp24

I just checked my Music Reference RM-200 amp, and it has 8ohm, 4ohm, 2ohm, and 1ohm taps! It's a very stable circuit, and a good sounding amp. And the only tube amp I can think of that would work with the load of the Thiels. Give Roger a call and see what he thinks. He's an expert with difficult speakers, having designed the electronics for the Beveridge Electrostatics, and having a current direct-drive ESL/tube amp product.
Maybe one of the Anti-Cable impedance transformers to get the Thiels impedance high enough?
If you aren't dead set against tubes, a tube power amp can mate well with Thiels. Midrange presence with a slightly forward sound is fairly common in tube amps. The trick will be finding one that doesn't mind the load impedance of the Thiels---tubes prefer higher impedances.