new amp for system

Classe amps and Aerial are a good match. Consider also the BAT CD player. I had both the VKD5 and the VKD5SE.

Enjoy those Aerials, great choice!

Best,

Paul :-)

Ayre V-5x

You may be able to find a pair of parasound JC-1's for the price, I normally don't like recommending components I own. In this case though I feel they are well worth the audition, in there price range they are hard to beat and there used price is a steal!

I've read great things about the BAT VK-200, a balanced amp that's now been replaced by their more expensive VK-250. I own an Audio Research 100.2, a fantastic SE and balanced amp. My ARC sounds far more powerful than its 100 W/channel rating, but is also delicate and detailed -- so musical.

2 amps that I'm looking at with meridian front end, cj premier 14, classe ca 200, mit cables and thiel 3.6 are:

McIntosh M501
CJ premier 350

I like classe but I don't think I can get by the new cosmetics and I haven't heard them yet but rumor has it they are very good. Good luck - I'm about to pull the trigger myself.

Thanks for all the responses to my question. I'm going to need an amp that has at least 250watts of power. The Arial 7b is rated at an 86 sensitivity, so they are moderately hard to drive. The used amps that I am considering are...Classe ca301, Classe ca401, Bat vk500 w/bat pack, Pass Labs x250, and the Parasound JC-1. Unfortunately, the McIntosh M501 don't work well with Bat pre-amps, according to a Stereophile article that I read recently. I was drooling over those amps, until I read that. Also, the Bat vk5i has an output impedence of 100k. I've been told that I should try to match the amps input impedence to this, if possible. Thanks for all the help!

I believe the 100k ohm inpedance you're referring to is the input impedance for the VK-5i. Ouput impedance, I believe, is 1k ohm. At least that's what it is for the VK-3i. Hope this helps in your choice of amps.

Mac

Ewmac, Thanks! I just looked in my vk5i owners manual. You're right. The input impedance is 100k minimum each phase. The minimum power amplifier input impedance is 10k. What kind of amplifier input impedance should I want for a good match with my preamp? I thought it to be 100k for the amp.Regards, Stan.

Talon,

Glad I could help. Offhand, I'd say any amp with an impedance between 10 and 100k ohm input impedance should work fine. But don't forget speaker synergy as you consider the various amps available. I'm not familiar with the Aerials so a search here or at the Asylum may yield some clues as to what other Aerial owners have found to work well.

Enjoy the hunt.

Mac

I'm driving speakers that are a lot less efficient with the new H2O. There is a beginning of a site up. You can see some interesting personal reviews there. People are selling off amps like the above, for the H2O. In my own case, I switched from a pass X600.

www.iceh2oaudio.com