Power amp for Vandersteen Treo?

I recently reviewed the Treos: https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/149145-vandersteen-treos/ and they worked exceptionally well with ARC Ref 110s. And I found they were well suited to the Nord Class D using a passive preamp from Hattor through XLRs. They do need a few watts as the sensitivity is lowish but do not seem to need a huge amount of current.

I am currently using Rogue M-180 Monoblock amplifiers with my Vandersteen 2CE Signatures. I am going to be upgrading to Treo CT's in the next few weeks. I can't imagine the M-180's won't be a good fit with the Treo's, because they sound pretty damn good driving the 2CE's.

I may have found a repair for my SD135.  I thought it was a loss, but now...?  My SD135 was the "little brother" to the HD220.

When I first heard the Treos, it was with the LS 27 and an Ayre V5.  It was wonderful.  I'm not sure how the SD135 compares with the V5, but I was pretty happy with the SD135.  I think both have low negative feedback, right?  The Stasis amps have zero, and I think Ayre has zero.  The SD135 has 7 dB.

also while i own ARC gear , tHE DS225 is not a fave. it’s hifi wow sounding, maybe try finding a HD-220, or an Astetix AAtlas. stereo 

The low maint Vandy super friendly tube amps are the Quicksilvers but your balanced ARC pre should be used balanced. Consider Rogue also.

yes of course. :-) My brother runs a T-200 w ARC / Lampizator front end to his Sig 3a.  The tweeter. in the Treo CT is superior, similar in the regular Treo. See my Casa Pacifica system for TREO CT w NAIM and Music Reference power. More than 100 w competent design is absurd. i run my RM-9 on the 2 ohm taps. Yes a low or zero negative fb amp like an Ayre is superb choice. Richard V has heard my NAIM amp on the treo, not dark at all. What is your budget ?

Anyone hear Vandersteen with a Stasis amp -- Nakamichi or Pass?

I heard the Treo CT with a full Bryston stack with the 4B3 amp. It was pretty good.

I own the Benchmark AHB2 amp and I would think that amp would be great with the Treo CT. They have a 30 day trial. I have 2 of them for my Thiel CS3.7

Just saw you have the ARC preamp. Maybe the Bryston amp would be a better choice.

There is a guy over in the Stereophile Forums, commsysman who runs a Musical Fidelity M6 PRX with an ARC LS26 Pre.  He says it is absolutely magical and it is his end-game system.  

MF M6 PRXs don't come up all that often used but they were re-issued as the M6s PRX and aren't absurdly expensive.  List on it is $2490 and it is a crazy good amp at that price.  MF is a strong value because it is made in Taiwan.  

There are going to be countless others mentioned and most will be excellent.   Look for an amp that is neutral to slightly forward. If the amp is too warm (Pass, Naim, AVM) you may find the system will drift dark. 

Ayre is undoubtedly a brilliant option.  Low maintenance, superb sound profile and wonderfully musical.  A used V5xe would be awesome.  

I am an MF dealer if you are interested.  I checked stock and the distributor has stock in both Silver and Black. 

Good luck to you.   

I've heard Vandersteens driven by Ayre amps and it's a great pairing.

joey54 you bet me to it

^ good advice.  I owned a DS-225 a few years ago and while I initially liked the see through sound stage and transparency, it eventually wore on my ears.  I eventually switched to Ayre which was more musical and relaxed.

I would suggest you contact JohnnyR at the Audio Connection in Verona, NJ. Not sure what your budget is but the Treo's sound really good with Belles, Ayre, Aesthetix and ARC amps. JohnnyR carries all of those brands and can give you good advice. 

I run my Treo CT's with the Aesthetix Mimas integrated amp and they sound great together. Good Luck!

rach_fan

These Vandersteen Treos don’t need an amp with big "current grunt" as they are a very easy benign load, but they are not very sensitive so they need quite a few watts
https://www.stereophile.com/images/666Treofig01.jpg
Class-D could be good, I can vouch for Belcanto Ref 600m monoblocks, they can sound nice, even in the upper mids/highs into these kind of benign loads.
They do 340w@8ohm and 600w@4ohm. And they are now 5 years old, so used ones are also an option.

Stereophile:
Treo’s voltage sensitivity was a low 82.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, the same as the BBC LS3/5a. However, the impedance remains between 6 and 10 ohms for almost the entire audioband (fig.1), with a benign electrical phase angle. The minimum magnitude is 5.5 ohms, at 26 and 75Hz; the Treo will be relatively easy for the partnering amplifier to drive.

Cheers George