[chewynuts]

Hi Guys, I'm currently using a pair of Focal Electra 1007Bes driven by an Almarro A318B 18w SET integrated amplifier. Source is a Monrio Top Loader Type 2.

I'm thinking of upgrading my setup and need your advice.

I listen to a wide variety of music:
Female vocals, mostly asian flavours like Olivia Ong, Corrine May etc.
Male vocals, mostly Belafonte and Michael Buble.
Occasionally modern jazz arrangements like 'Angels of Shanghai' by Bob James.
Big fan of old rock greats like The Eagles, Journey, Aerosmith, Guns 'N' Roses.
Even bigger fan of modern indie music like The XX, Florence and the Machine, Stars which have very intricate musical arrangements often with an expansive sound.
But my main diet of music is contemporary/current top 40 hits (I'm 20 years old), like Lady GaGa, Maroon 5, Kings of Leon, Taylor Swift and the list goes on.

Thinking of replacing the Almarro with a Pre/Power combo. I am about to purchase a used Red Wine Audio Isabella. But haven't decided on the power amp yet, but am seriously considering a First Watt J2. My worry is that it does not have enough power to drive the focals as it goes down to only 13w into 4 ohms.

I was hoping that this pairing with the First Watt J2 will allow much more control during complex passages while only sacrificing a little of the tube SET magic when it comes to vocals. My current 18w sounds glorious on simple to moderately complex tracks but gets breathless on say, Kings of Leon albums.

Can anyone weigh in on amps that have had terrific synergy with the Focals? My budget for the power amp is around $2500, prefer to buy used/demo.

Thanks in advance!

[werd]

Hi Chewynuts and welcome to AC

If you listen to lots of mainstream i would look for something with more power.  The recordings used on mainstream tend to be loud. Really low power class A (imo)work well with more audiophile recordings. These recordings  are not recordered very loud and leave a lot of headroom in their playback, here an amp like a the First watt excells but if you are looking for powering music thats ramped up in the rms  you want to find a something that has more power... even with your bookshelfs.

For about 3k you should be able to find a Bryston 4bsst/2 or a Sim Audio w-5 ( but give the First Watt a shot, it might match your pre amp better in the long run ).

[TONEPUB]

Sounds like you have a great system!  I'd consider an older Pass design, I believe the Aleph 5...

It is still a single ended class A design but has a little more juice.  I've driving my Magnepan 1.6's successfully with it, so you should have no trouble with your Focals.  You should be able to find a nice one for about 900 bucks and that will work very well with the Isabella.

Good luck on the search.  Hope you find a great combination!

[werd]

Sounds like you have a great system!  I'd consider an older Pass design, I believe the Aleph 5...

It is still a single ended class A design but has a little more juice.  I've driving my Magnepan 1.6's successfully with it, so you should have no trouble with your Focals.  You should be able to find a nice one for about 900 bucks and that will work very well with the Isabella.

Good luck on the search.  Hope you find a great combination!

Here it is right here. Lots of ventilation req ?... looks trekky.

http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/pass-labs/amplifiers/aleph-5/PRD_116067_1583crx.aspx

[TONEPUB]

That is the 5, Actually, I was thinking of the 3 (?) It looks just like that, but half that height.  It's the sweetest sounding of the lot, though the 5 is awfully good too.

As my friend Kurt at Echo Audio likes to say, "don't play catch with it" !



They definitely run a little warm, but thanks to the heat sinks all the way around, they aren't any more demanding of ventilation.  Easy amp to use.

[rob-fi]

The Burson PI-160 its able to drive the most demanding speakers. Easy to set up as well.

Here's a review.