Thank you all for the input. I was intrigued by the comment about gain mismatch. Well, I checked the DAC, adjusted its volume and boosted the gain. Voila! Volume problem solved. This a great forum.
Matching an Amp With ARC Reference 6 and GoldenEar Triton Ones
Having added an Audio Research Reference 6 preamp to my system (which I love), I’m interested in the community’s views on picking a compatible power amp. I’m using Cary Audio 805RS monos to power GoldenEar Triton One towers with the integrated powered subs. The rest of the system (DAC, SACD transport, PP 10 regenerator) is PS Audio.
At 27 watts of class A power, the 805s will drive the Tritons okay, but I find that I’m turning the volume on the ARC preamp up in the 45-50 range to get any decent volume.
I’ve been looking at the used market for mono blocks, and am focusing on the Audio Research 160M (at the extreme end of my budget), the older ARC Ref 210, and also came across some Brystons that seem reasonably priced.
Thoughts on any of these?