I'm assuming that you are going to be pre/amp shopping in roughly the same price range as the Concertinos... my thoughts... Consider the Concertos if you like the SF sound. If you are willing to buy used/demo, they can be had for a very small premium over the Concertinos and I thought the difference was worth paying for. I have used the Concertos with c-j (PV-11), passive, and Classe (DR-5) pres; also a combination of Classe (DR-10) and Krell (KSA-80B) amps. I found that a solid state amp was a good match for these speakers in that they have decent bass extension for their size but need a high current amp to control the woffer adequately. You might look into a Parasound if you're on a tight budget. All of the Pre's worked well, btu the c-j tube sound is along the same lines as the SF, so you can potentially get a softening of the sound and lack of detail. Cables are also critical, I found that Transparent mates very well with the equipment above and the SF's. I am in a 10'x14' room w/ 8' ceilings and the room is well dampened. Listening position in close to nearfield and the sound is outstanding given the cost of the system. My 2 cents... try some used high current solid state amps and find a very neutral preamp. Good luck and happy listening.
With reference to the previous comment. I dont' consider the Aeriel 8 and the Concertino to be in the same shopping league. I owned a pair of Aerial 7 (original) for 4 years and they are wonderful speakers. However, used Aeriels might be a good option to consider.
-twylie
With reference to the previous comment. I dont' consider the Aeriel 8 and the Concertino to be in the same shopping league. I owned a pair of Aerial 7 (original) for 4 years and they are wonderful speakers. However, used Aeriels might be a good option to consider.
-twylie