Nad M3? Need amp for Vandersteen 3 $3,000 budget

I do agree with an Ayre intergrated being a solid match, but it might be short on power. You should consider a used Gryphon intergrated. Not sure what model could be had for $3k(Callisto 2100-2200)? Remember quality is cheap!

Asmazda...You USED to have? If the sound was so amazing why don't you have them any more....I recommend Ayre as does the above poster.

McIntosh or Audio Research for me.

I used to have the Vandersteen 3A's. I used 4 monoblocks to drive them. Two per speaker, one for lows one for highs. The ones I used were the SM-70. It was most amazing sound to me.

You should be able to get 4 of them for $3K. They sell direct: www.monarchyaudio.com. Email them and they will offer you lower than list price.

I use and ARC 300.2 and it sounds wonderful.

Mc Cormack or Audio Research, they both do magic.

The Belles 150A Reference is a great amp with Vandersteen.
I've been using the older 150A Hot Rod with the current model 2Ce Signature 2 with great results. Matching the Belles with a tube preamp is a great classic combo..

The NAD M3 would be punchy, substantial, and powerful with a large and deep soundstage. Smooth. Probably not the last word in air and high frequency detail but that could be a good thing if you have a reflective listening space. It also has tone controls and I did not find their effects objectionable but unnecessary. Around $1400.00 or less used. I would've kept mine but I like to have a larger display so I can see the volume before I start a song.

Ayre Acoustics uses Vandy speakers to "voice" their amps during design/development, so they are a natural and often-used pairing. Ayre V-5XE amps are available secondhand for $3K.

For rock music, I will suggest an used Theta Dreadnaught 5ch, disable the center channel and use the other four to bi-amp the Vandy 3A.

I have those speakers and have used Bryston 3B-ST and Quicksilver V4 Tube Mono Blocks. I have recently settled on Red Dragon M-500 Class D Mono Block amps. The others were good in their own ways but overall I prefer the Red Dragons. Clean, powerful, great extension in treble and bass. Very reasonably priced.
Another option is finding a used Audio Research 100.2 or 150.2 which also were quite nice. Good luck.

I agree, McCormack.

McCormack Amps are a good match.