Sonus Faber Grand piano home

Chris,

It's a tough question to answer as you know we all have different musical preference. To narrow down the brands, MF specifically, I actually prefer A300 than the 3.2. Tonally, they don't differ too much, but the A300 has much more power and you simply get more bang for the buck. You probably know that the new A3.2 actually falls in the middle between the older A300 and A3. Give price/value and new vs. old trade off, I would go for the A300.

Pending on your musical preference, if you like more of a "tube" sound, i.e. warm/romantic/lush, you may want to give the Classe a try.

Spoke with a sales guy from a local audio store and they told me to stay away from the Creek for its reliability issue. They used to carry Creek and have just stopped carrying the brand. Keep in mind that I was at the store checking out speakers and he was not trying to persuade me to get an amp, I considered this as a fair comment.

Hope this helps.

Steve

Stevenkc,

Which solid state performed the best out of the onces you listed. I'm considering the MF A3.2

I have them (just upgraded) and I think if you run them with a VTL ST75 integrated (or is it 85?) you will have a lot of fun. Also could try the CJs but they have less power.

I have a pair of the SF Grand Piano Concerto and drive it with a VAC Avatar, a 60w tube integrated amp. It works really well with the speakers, especially in the triode mode, and the result has been amazing. Female vocals and strings are so real that you'll think you just converted your listening room to a live jazz club. If you perfer a lush/romatic and warm sound to your music, you can't go wrong pairing your SF Grand Pianos with a tube amp. Unlike the more edgy sound from some of the solid states, You'll never get tired of listening.

When I was shopping for an amp, I've also considered the following:

Tube:
Conrad Johnson CAV50
Jolida 502B
VTL IT-85
Manley Stingray

Solid State:
Musical Fidelity A300/A3.2
Classe CAP 151
Arcam Diva A85
Creek 5350

I've also auditioned the HOME version of the Grand Pianos and they are great as well. Happy Shopping...