[lazbisme]

May not be terribly appropriate but will toss this out here.
I started with 2.3watt SET amp on my X3s. Sound was wonderful! I am old so my ears are not as good as they once were. When I turned the volume up enough to hear ppp passages on classical performances the amp would run out of steam before reaching the fff and ffff passages. I tried 300watt per channel monoblock GAN amps and they did a great job coupled with a Decware CSP2+ preamp. I had some tube sound along with the generally good sound of the GAN amps. On a whim, because there were a couple of annoying sounds on hard struck piano notes and also on massed violins at high volumes, I got a pair of Burson Timekeeper 3X GT monoblocks. (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=new+record+day+burson+timekeepers) WOW! These are 180watts/channel BUT the first 30 watts are Class A. These fixed the niggling problems I had been hearing but, even with the CSP2+ preamp, I was really missing the SET tube sound. So, after reading about all the recommendations related to Spatial speakers, I called Cloud and now have Valhalla on order. I am assuming that will fix my "tube fetish"! As always another problem has jumped up! Now I have a wonderful pair of monoblock amps that need a new, loving place of residence!! They are retail $3999 and less than one month old and I have them listed on USAudiomart for $3K shipped with PayPal F&F pay. Open to offers. joeclazenby@juno.com

[glynnw]

Don Sachs Kootenay 120 with my X-5s.  This amp just sounds wonderful through these speakers.

[lazbisme]

that is what I am hoping for with the Valhalla.  I grabbed the Bursons because no waiting and Ron on New Recod Day had dubbed them his favorite solid state amps and demoed them with X4s.

[Daryl Zero]

that is what I am hoping for with the Valhalla.  I grabbed the Bursons because no waiting and Ron on New Recod Day had dubbed them his favorite solid state amps and demoed them with X4s.

You will definitely get great sound with the Valhalla or, at least, I do.

[Shredder]

I power my Lumina L2s with a ss Ayre AX-5/20 integrated. Speakers do not need that much power, but sound great with it.

FWIW, I do have a tube dac (Lampi Atlantic). I like the balance that comes with mixing ss and tubes.

[bbybaudio]

I used to use a Primaluna Dialogue HP Premium but switched to a Don Sachs Valhalla Integrated a little over a year ago. Great amp!

[jpm]

I'm probably using one of, if not the, oldest and cheapest amps with my X3s while I wait for new amps: an early '90s Naim Nait 2 fed by a Lumin D2. Despite being 30 years in my possession, not yet serviced and by its nature a modest amp, it's core attributes still shine through and show why early Naits have a cult following.

[geerock]

Glad to see the love given to the Don Sachs equipment.  I'm one of just a very few to have obtained a recent DS 300B Stereo amp.  It mates stunningly well with my X5's, the DS Pre, and the Acapella III streamer.  The first really great amp I've owned.

[jpm]

After yesterday's visit from FedEx, I'm now running a Naim NSC222/NAP250 combination.

[DBT AUDIO]

M6 owner and a newly acquired Parasound JC5. Pretty blown away by this amplifier. The Spatials are giving me detail like no tomorrow.

I just bought a JC5 and the scheduled delivery date is Friday, 6/30/23!  I’ll be honest, I slept on Parasound by getting caught up in all these other brands that were much more expensive.  I also got consumed with the class D offerings, but hadn’t settled on a power amp to replace my Luxman L-509x integrated, that I sold recently, until I decided to buy the JC5.  Nice to know that your solid state preamp and power amp combo sounds good with your Spatials because most Spatial owners seem to have tubes somewhere in the chain!

[DaveWin88]

I just bought a JC5 and the scheduled delivery date is Friday, 6/30/23!  I’ll be honest, I slept on Parasound by getting caught up in all these other brands that were much more expensive.  I also got consumed with the class D offerings, but hadn’t settled on a power amp to replace my Luxman L-509x integrated, that I sold recently, until I decided to buy the JC5.  Nice to know that your solid state preamp and power amp combo sounds good with your Spatials because most Spatial owners seem to have tubes somewhere in the chain!

I'm so impressed with this amplifier and I would be lying if I didn't say that the Jc2 BP pre-amp is even more impressive. I kept hearing about the depth of the soundstage and thought how the heck is this going to sound going deeper than the front wall,  but the soundstage actually came forward from the plain of the speakers. At times getting holographic. I'm so serious about getting the most of this amp that I bit the bullet and bought some pricey room treatment. The bass is excellent to say the least. Warm, great voicing. Natural sounding detail. Zero fidelity and Audio excellence really nailed the review of the amplifier. Hope you love it as much as I do.

[DBT AUDIO]

I'm so impressed with this amplifier and I would be lying if I didn't say that the Jc2 BP pre-amp is even more impressive. I kept hearing about the depth of the soundstage and thought how the heck is this going to sound going deeper than the front wall,  but the soundstage actually came forward from the plain of the speakers. At times getting holographic. I'm so serious about getting the most of this amp that I bit the bullet and bought some pricey room treatment. The bass is excellent to say the least. Warm, great voicing. Natural sounding detail. Zero fidelity and Audio excellence really nailed the review of the amplifier. Hope you love it as much as I do.

I can’t wait to get mine and experience everything I have read or saw in all the YouTube video reviews and forums.  I saw both reviews from Audio Excellence and Zero Fidelity and they all praised this amp.  No one has said anything really negative about the JC5, so it must be an incredible bang for the buck!  I’ll be using my Holo Audio Serene KTE preamp with it.  Darren Myers, former PS Audio engineer/designer, joined Parasound with a VP title recently.  He is a very smart guy and a music enthusiast, so I expect good things in the future having Darren and John Curl working together.  Greg Weaver posted a video on YouTube with the new CEO of Parasound, David Sherrif, discussing the future of Parasound.  It was a good interview.

[DaveWin88]

I've seen that interview. It's pretty cool that Parasound will be making smaller mono blocks. Great choice.You should be in good shape with the pre-amp.

[Jprod]

I just bought a JC5 and the scheduled delivery date is Friday, 6/30/23!  I’ll be honest, I slept on Parasound by getting caught up in all these other brands that were much more expensive.  I also got consumed with the class D offerings, but hadn’t settled on a power amp to replace my Luxman L-509x integrated, that I sold recently, until I decided to buy the JC5.  Nice to know that your solid state preamp and power amp combo sounds good with your Spatials because most Spatial owners seem to have tubes somewhere in the chain!

The reason a lot of us seem to have tubes is that the x3 / x5 with the 97db 8 ohm sensitivity gives us that flexibility.  I had a parasoound a21 a while ago and found it to strident and somewhat harsh.  I’m sure the jc5 is much better than the a21 but for me the tubes give my that sweet luscious sound without the sibilance and brittleness of some ss amps. 

[Mr. Big]

I can’t wait to get mine and experience everything I have read or saw in all the YouTube video reviews and forums.  I saw both reviews from Audio Excellence and Zero Fidelity and they all praised this amp.  No one has said anything really negative about the JC5, so it must be an incredible bang for the buck!  I’ll be using my Holo Audio Serene KTE preamp with it.  Darren Myers, former PS Audio engineer/designer, joined Parasound with a VP title recently.  He is a very smart guy and a music enthusiast, so I expect good things in the future having Darren and John Curl working together.  Greg Weaver posted a video on YouTube with the new CEO of Parasound, David Sherrif, discussing the future of Parasound.  It was a good interview.

John Curl designs good gear and has years of experience, like Dave Belles, Jeff Rowland, Bascom H King, and Nelson Pass, Mark Levinson (the man) with 100 years of experience between them.

[DaveWin88]

The reason a lot of us seem to have tubes is that the x3 / x5 with the 97db 8 ohm sensitivity gives us that flexibility.  I had a parasoound a21 a while ago and found it to strident and somewhat harsh.  I’m sure the jc5 is much better than the a21 but for me the tubes give my that sweet luscious sound without the sibilance and brittleness of some ss amps.

I agree that SS can be a tad much with some CD's,  but vinyl is pretty much excellent. Tubes do? have an overall more forgiving presentation.

[DaveWin88]

John Curl designs good gear and has years of experience, like Dave Belles, Jeff Rowland, Bascom H King, and Nelson Pass, Mark Levinson (the man) with 100 years of experience between them.

All the heavy hitters in the industry we have so much to be thankful for. The Jc2 BP pre-amp was made by Mark Levinson. btw Mr Big. I did reach out to Spatial and left a message. Might be a minute till they really get back on their feet and contact me? I will let you know.

[DBT AUDIO]

John Curl designs good gear and has years of experience, like Dave Belles, Jeff Rowland, Bascom H King, and Nelson Pass, Mark Levinson (the man) with 100 years of experience between them.

These heavy weights have made some great gear and very reliable!  That’s a big deal to me.

The reason a lot of us seem to have tubes is that the x3 / x5 with the 97db 8 ohm sensitivity gives us that flexibility.  I had a parasoound a21 a while ago and found it to strident and somewhat harsh.  I’m sure the jc5 is much better than the a21 but for me the tubes give my that sweet luscious sound without the sibilance and brittleness of some ss amps.

Yes, I am very familiar with the X series.  I owned the X5s and paired them with Prima Luna EVO400 preamp and amp combo for a while.  I went from SS to tubes and back to SS, then sold the X5s.  Tubes did bring a beautiful holographic presentation and velvety bloom!

[Daryl Zero]

I try not to argue about someone's individual tastes. If someone doesn't have information, I might provide it but SS vs Tubes is taste and convenience factors. There isn't a "right" choice.

[Tyson]

 I don't have the X3's anymore but when I did, these were the amps I used with them:

First Watt BA3
First Watt Aleph J
Don Sachs "baby-Kootenay"
Dennis Had Inspire MB14 SEP Monoblocks
Almarro A318B SET
TAL Korneff Type 45 SET
Elekit TU 8233 2a3/300b SET
Sun Valley 211/845 SET