["Hi Vic,
Thanks for the mail, and glad you like the Eidolons. I still think they are amazing, and expect to continue to sell their current iteration.
My first experience with tubes and Eidolons was with Audio Research 100's. Clearly not enough power to have the full bloom of the capability of the Eidolons, but, there was still enough info to let me know that with a bit more power there would be some very nice results. Indeed, I later heard them with both the AR 300, and later the 600. These are both super amps, and priced accordingly, but in the interest of letting you know that it will work, I give you those examples. On the other extreme, if you can find a small tube amp, called the RM200. These little tube amps are quite extraordinary. Probably on the low end of power requirements, and admittedly I have not heard them with Eidolons, but many years ago I lusted for the RM9 for myself. The company is very small, but passionate, and is still in existence, and I believe in California. Also, a bit more mainstream, is VTL, also a California based company, with a variety of 'affordable' mono and stereo tube gear. We shared a room with them at the recent Audiofest show in Denver in early October. Always a good match, and we share a number of dealers and distributors around the world. David Berning also makes a few very good amplifiers. We used their amps at CES a lifetime ago, and never forgot that sound, and now people have started to tell us how good the combination still is.
Lucien Pichette
On Nov 24, 2009,"]
The Music Reference is a tube hybrid that provides a very stable platform for difficult loads also available in mono. Best to read the designers description.
http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/rm200.html
This is a very new and unique switching amplifier. The less powerful nCore 400 DIY version can be bridged to equal the power of the OEM version if needed. Theses may soon be the replacement for my NuForce mono's currently powering my Eidolons.
http://www.mola-mola.nl/epk_files/molamolafolder.pdf
A solid state hybrid also available in mono.
http://www.aesthetix.net/saturn.php?product=atlas
All tube
http://www.manley.com/n250.php
Regardless of the direction you take in amplification the Eidolon can be an amazing speaker. More important than amplification is room placement. I found the placement guide in the manual to be an important part of the magic that lets these speakers work. Toe in is slight and very delicate. I ended up removing a great deal of the sound absorbing materials I was using with my previous speakers and began using reflection and baffling methods.
