Reference 3A


Thoughts on the Veenas or Grand Veenas running a solid state amp? The buzz online is that they are "designed for tubes." Good or bad experiences running them on decent 100-150 watt amplification?
griggs
You may really like the Reference 3A Veena or Grand Veena with your integrated. You may also have the opportunity to mate the speakers with your tube amp down the road.

A great speaker is a great speaker. I just wanted you to be aware that there may be a better amp match than one that's solid state.
I use a pair of Red Dragon Leviathan monos and the sound is fine to my ears, but I am going to investigate what a Mac 275 will bring to the party.

If there is an improvement I will make the change.

I am satisfied with my present amps, but all the hype about using tubes on the GV have whetted my curiosity and that usually costs me money.

So keep the comments coming about Grand Veena and amp match ups.

I would also ask that speaker wires be added to the mix,as I have found that getting the best sound out of the GV have a lot to do with the wiring also.

More than any other speaker I have owned, and there have been many of all stripes, the GV seem very particular about who's company they keep in cables.

Then again maybe the Mac will make cables a non issue.
Tried the Mac 275, very nice,robust sound, a different take than the Red Dragon amps,the ideal amp would have the best aspects of both.
The Red Dragon amps seem to have more speed and keep it together when the music gets complex, but the Mac has it when the music is less complex,voices are better thru the Mac,more like real human voices.

Either amp makes the Grand Veenas sound very listenable,so it's a toss up, I wouldn't say the Grand Veenas are just for tube amps.

I even tried an ancient 20watt Tubed(6v6)integrated amp and heard things niether amp was capable of reproducing.
So more experimentation with power amps, tubed and solid state I think is the order of the day.

One thing I will say about the Grand Veena then is that it's only limitations so far seem to be amp related.
Give it a less revealing amp and that's what you'll hear, give it an amp that is over etched and that is what you get.

In other words it tells it like it is, and so far the only sound I can attribute to the speakers is the sound of the amp partnering it.

I have owned many other speakers where it was the other way around.
I am always impressed with the sound that they get out of the Grand Veenas at the shows. Why not get recommendations from Reference 3A?
The Carissa amp from Art Audio also works very well with the GV.No lack of power or any sense of strain from this 20 watt SET amp.
Some vintage Macs are in the works.