Amplifier to drive ProAc Response 2.5 speakers

To those who have experience with or have owned the Proac Response 2.5 speakers, can you recommend an amplifier that can sufficiently drive the speakers. Many have said that these speakers are power hungry and some opine that only a powerful amp (at least 200 watts) can really bring the best out of it. What about class A amps but has lower power output i.e the Pass Labs Aleph 5 ( single ended 60 watts) or Plinius SA-200 ( 100 watts). Can they make the speakers shine?

Any opinion is highly appreciated. Thanks guys.

I have a pair of the 2.5 and I 've been driving them with a Plinius SA100 and I am very happy with the combination. My pre-amp is the matching Plinius CD-LAD.

dear pal - proac resp 2.5 0r 3.8 are real power hungry speakers. plinius SA100 or krell KSA 200S is more than sufficient and do a great job . this set up i have owned before . plinius in class A mode give a sense of warm , while in class AB mode and as with Krell full class A - dynamic . i match with my CAT sig tube Pre and Ayre K5 xe mp pre.

Parasound monoblocs should be more than ok. But heavy $$,$$$-00 outlay.

I heard somewhere that Proac speakers are voiced with Audio Research amps.

Recently, I heard proac carbon 6 in a all AR system & it was wonderful. Preamplifier is an AR ref 5, amp is a ref 110 stereo block. Also heard a pair of proac d80 with same amps. Good stuff

Earlier, I nearly fell for a pair of d28 driven by naim amplification. But don't know what model.

joeling wrote:

Earlier, I nearly fell for a pair of d28 driven by naim amplification. But don't know what model.

proacs and naims match very well.

joeling wrote:
I heard somewhere that Proac speakers are voiced with Audio Research amps.

spoke to David Amey, head of DNA Marketing, which markets ProAc speakers around the world, last year and he said they use several types of amps but the designer stuart tyler loves to use his jadis monoblocks (don't know which model) to voice his speakers.

My listening experiences of ProAc is better matched with tube amp or anologue/organic sounding solid state amp or solid state amp with tube cdp/Dac.
Matching ProAc with bright & hard though detail or powerful sounding solid state amp/source will induce listening fatigue unless compromised by tube or organic sounding equipment.

depends on your taste, can consider mark levinson amp.

Could be something there. I heard the D80 with my pair of Bel Canto ICE 1000W monoblocks. Not good. Better with the Audio Research - a lot better.

soonthas wrote:My listening experiences of ProAc is better matched with tube amp or anologue/organic sounding solid state amp or solid state amp with tube cdp/Dac.
Matching ProAc with bright & hard though detail or powerful sounding solid state amp/source will induce listening fatigue unless compromised by tube or organic sounding equipment.

Yes, ProAc with all Naim setup = painful ears.

ProAc with Cary pre/mono + Sonic frontier cd/dac

or Audio Research

or Ear = Good

hughesths wrote:

Yes, ProAc with all Naim setup = painful ears.

on the contrary, an all naim (top range) set-up driving the pro ac carbon 8 created some of the best music i have ever heard.

freakish,
why don't u go to cmy and hear for yourself. they have naims and proacs on demo.

Freakish already got a Plinius amp for his Response 2.5s late last year. This is an old thread.

This is going out of topic, but since there's mention of having a listen at CMY, do have a listen at CMY Uptown to their setup just at the entrance of the shop: Metronome CD player, Jeff Rowland pre/power amps and Dynaudio Sapphire speakers.

My goodness... the sound produced by this system is so transparent and detailed and liquid at the same time. They had Mary Black playing on low volume and the sound was just so easy on the ears, but not in a tube like way.

The new Naim Ovator speakers they have there also pretty impressive, much more so than any of their big Ushers.

sflam wrote:

hughesths wrote:

Yes, ProAc with all Naim setup = painful ears.

on the contrary, an all naim (top range) set-up driving the pro ac carbon 8 created some of the best music i have ever heard.

freakish,
why don't u go to cmy and hear for yourself. they have naims and proacs on demo.

Auditioned ProAc D80 with top range Naim Pre/power & CD555 in CMY Sungai Wang before, good music but listening fatigue.