Krell amp with Zu Essence speaker

Thanks for all your input. Within a year I plan on buying Revel Ultima2 speakers and think the Krells that I already have will work well with them. I bought the Zu's on a whim because they seemed unique. I currently have Paradigm S8 speakers that I use with the Krells. I heard Emotiva has new small 200 watt monoblocks for $329 each that might go well with the Zu's.

Did you get a listen to the Essence yet? I bought a pair a little over a month ago. Will be another month before I receive them. My situation is quite a bit different- I have all tube gear and a MastersounD Compact 845 SET amp- about 30 wpc. I chose the Essence because I want to experiment with a high efficiency design, since I have a low power system. With that Krell, you may find yourself needing earplugs...that thing is gonna be ear splitting. You should easily be able to generate spl's in excess of 120 db with that rig. Ouch. It's gonna be like having the Concorde take off in front of your face. Have fun. An advance purchase of hearing aids may be in order, too. Zu says the Essence can handle up to 300 wpc, I believe....not that you'll ever get there without an incredible amount of pain, but having the reserve is always nice. And if you don't like the neighbors, well, you've just created the perfect weapon with which to attack them.

I have not listened to the Essence yet. I am new to this hobby. I have never even heard a tube amplifier. I would like your opinion when you get your Zu's.

Absolutely. I'll let you know. Should be here by mid-March. I imagine yours are on the manufacturing line right now, too. You may want to try a tube amp with the Essence. They're designed for that, and the 12 ohm load they present is right up a tube amp's alley. With Krell, you've got some of the best solid state stuff out there. Tubes are another ballgame. You will someday need to check it out. I have a Jeff Rowland amp sitting idle. After I got the MastersounD, there was just no going back to solid state. The Rowland is purely a backup now.

If you are committed to solid state and ZU, I'd recommend giving Pass Labs FirstWatt series of amplifiers serious consideration. Aleph J or the F1-F5 amps. They were designed with high efficiency speakers in mind.