I heard the Avantgarde Uno's driven by an Audio Note Soro SE 8W SET integrated at a dealer's. I was surprised by how bad the combination was. The midrange was thick and coloured, top end was poor and muddied. Nearly all of my music lives in the mids and highs, and the combination was inferior to what I already had (ProAc D38/Cary 50W SET's). The bass was satisfactory - the Avantgarde active woofers are pretty good but lack true low down extension.
I thanked the dealer for his time and was about to walk out, when he suggested using the Graaf 20W OTL power amp instead. So he hooked it up and let it warm up. This was MUCH more like it - the speakers really came to life with this combination. I could quite happily live with this, but I heard something better the next day at another dealer's and bought it.
I was surprised that the little Audio Note SET wasn't happy with the Uno's. You would think that the two were made for each other.
I also got to hear the Duo's with my own SET's. I was not satisfied with the demo for other reasons but lack of power was not one of them.
Good luck with your quest and do report back what you find works best!
I thanked the dealer for his time and was about to walk out, when he suggested using the Graaf 20W OTL power amp instead. So he hooked it up and let it warm up. This was MUCH more like it - the speakers really came to life with this combination. I could quite happily live with this, but I heard something better the next day at another dealer's and bought it.
I was surprised that the little Audio Note SET wasn't happy with the Uno's. You would think that the two were made for each other.
I also got to hear the Duo's with my own SET's. I was not satisfied with the demo for other reasons but lack of power was not one of them.
Good luck with your quest and do report back what you find works best!