What amp for Goldenear Reference speakers?


Thought this would get more attention here from those with Goldenear speakers.  If I am fortunate enough to get Reference speakers what amps are you guys using to drive these?  I'm not buying that a receiver type amp will cut it.  So what is recommended to drive these?  I tend to listen to things on the louder side.....

seanile31

I have used the following amps with my GE Triton Refs:

Odyssey Stratos, very dynamic sounding and I loved the paring. I wish I had kept this amp, it was a winning combination.

Conrad Johnson MF2550: at 250wpc I was expecting great things but I found the sound lackluster. It was a thick syrupy sound that was hard to get used to which I could not. It was my first and last CJ amp. I could not warm up to the sound.

McIntosh MC 152: This 150wpc amp with the Auto Transformers really packed a punch. It had endless power and never sounded strained. It was my end all amp until……..

McIntosh MC 302: this 300wpc powerhouse was everything the MC152 had and more. The sound had full authority and was effortless. I could hear all the nuances in the music and every aspect of the sound sounded first class to me. This amp is my end all amp and a keeper. IMO, it doesn’t get any better than this.

At this point my system is done and there won’t be any more changes. Associate equipment is McIntosh C2500 tube preamp, McIntosh MR88 FM Tuner, Esoteric SACD player, Sony Music server & Technics SL 1200G Turntable. Speaker cables are Canare 4S11, interconnects are mixed as I selected each to compliment the connected component consisting of Nordost Red Dawn interconnect Acrolink interconnect & digital cable, Groneberg Quattro ref interconnects, Furutech phono cable, Shunyata power cords and Shunyata Hydra power conditioners.  I also have 2 dedicated 20 amp lines and a dedicated 15 amp line using Shunyata wall outlets  

I hope this info helps you out. My room is 16 by 18 with 10 foot high ceilings and speakers are set up on the long wall. I sit 12 feet from the speakers, dead center.

Great info.  This is absolutely not a critical listening setup.  Big room, not great acoustics and usually listen from a BlueNode and occasionally things streamed from the internet (Brain Damage Pink Floyd podcast).  I have an older Marantz MK11 that was used in a home theater that could be recycled as the pre/pro for this setup.  

I'd absolutely love to put together a "nice" system but it's been over a decade for me and it seems like everything is new and confusing to me!

I have an older Marantz MK11 that was used in a home theater that could be recycled as the pre/pro for this setup.  

No, don't do that but do look at some high-powered integrated amps. You said you play loud, you'll need a big boy amp.  

heard them several times being driven by a primaluna tube amp.  

the GE powered woofers do not require much power for very loud sound and the PL amps delivered a smooth refinement that made for nice synergy.