I don’t know how many times I have been told you can’t drive ML speakers with tube amps. Thankfully I ignored that. I have had ML Quest Z’s and Summit’s that I drove with a Cary 120 followed by a pair of Cary 211AE amps. I got great sound in a 14 x 28 foot room without any issues. Before the Cary amps I used a couple of different Krell amps one stereo and the others were mono blocks. The Cary amps sounded much better to me. I just recently swapped my 211AE amps for the Cary 211FE. With the Summit X speakers you are only driving the panels not the woofers so you should be fine.
Tube Amplifier with Martin Logan Summit X
I’ve used panel speakers, mostly Magnepan and Martin Logan, for over 30 years with various amplification sources. Many years ago I owned the Martin Logan CLS’s and considered, at that time, to be the the best sounding speaker that I’d owned. With that memory in mind, a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to buy a pair of CLS2’s from a friend that I originally used with the Mark Levinson (100WPC). I was quite happy with that setup but now have an opportunity to buy my friend’s pair of Summit X’s and am looking for advice. I’ve recently exchanged the Mark Levinson for the Cary SLI80 which I’ve also enjoyed with the CLS2 speakers with bass assist from the Martin Logan Depth Subwoofer. Now, the question. One reads so much on these forums that the electrostats, especially ML’s, need lots of power to perform well musically and that solid state is best to accommodate the low impedance loads of these panels. If I buy the Summits am I likely to experience issues because of the relatively low power output (40 W triode or 80W ultra linear) of the Cary? I’d appreciate any advice because it’s a long drive and relatively significant expense for me.