unman M-900u for Focal Sopras 2 and 3

@jbrrp1
" I’ve run an M900u on my TAD CR-1’s and it gets them plenty loud (86 dB/2.83V/m). Prior to that I was using the BHK 300 Mono’s, and I have not felt volume constraint. Now, they are not the best match for the TAD’s, tonally (too light and zippy in combo), so I am back to using the BHK’s (with the C900u preamp!)."

I found a very similar thing with m-900 and Sopra No2 and also m-900 and Dynaudio Confidence 30; to my ears the results were threadbare-- yes ultra detailed but not engaging; Flat and more 2-d.
A Pass INT-250 fleshes out sound (have not tried this on the Focal Sopra) in a more engaging and dynamic way;
Last year I had an X250.8 with an ARC-LS27 and I find the INT-250 be a better value; amazing sound from one chassis.

You might want to experiment with the INT-250 on your TAD’s.

..yes; Almost like an amp for every mood and album--I once had a dream where speakers were mounted on a 2-D gantry so that the speakers could be optimized per track...sigh.

So I know what you mean about texture in the upper-mids; I still have an XA-30.5 which is an amazing renderer of midrange --deep, dimensional, passionate; Just mesmerizing. In the right system pure magic. On 4 ohm dynaudios the bass/upper can be wooly at times but still very good; 

The INT-250 has some of that midrange dimensional character, not as buttery smooth, but has significantly cleaner and more refined top end; The mids are neutral and have a touch of warmth, not as golden imbued as the Lux m-900 combo but beautiful in own way; The bass power could blow apart most speakers and is never a bottleneck; The INT-250 just digs and digs the more you crank it; Never whimpers or compresses just gets bigger and bigger. I've said this before but this time I mean it ;) a keeper;

I found that Transparent Super Speaker Generation 5 are a great synergy with the INT-250 and speakers; I used to be in the "cables don't matter" camp but I have come a long way since then. 

@yyzsantabarbara did you audition that excellent collection of components in your own acoustic space? 

@jbrrp1 I hear you, the m-900 is amazing, but it is not neutral; It has a character, a beautiful one, but it's there; be careful trying to optimize your sound to one piece. Before long things will begin to sound about the same;
If you like/love attributes of your TAD work with that. Speaker/Room interaction is KING in this game, as you well know;