Paradigm Studio 100 speakers and 35 watt tube amp?


I am currently using a Adcom 555 amp and preamp with my Paradigm. Since reading Audiogon I am interested in trying tubes. Would this integrated Cayin TA-30 35 watts a channel be a good match or not. I have been researching this and have gotten different opinions. I have heard that the Paradigm need high current so a 35 watt tube amp would be a very poor choice and that I should stick with solid state. Someone else suggested biamping the Paradigm with my 200 watt Adcom for the bass. Is this a good idea.
thanks for any help.
Bob
galleybob
HI Bob.
I own none of the equipment you mentioned,but I am into tubes also.I just bought the AERIAL 10T that according to a lot of A'goners is a very power hungry speaker.Guess what for my first listening session(I was pressed for time as I was just checking for product integrity )when I brough them home I used my CONRAD JOHNSON MV55(45W per channel)
They sounded fine .Very satisfactory sound indeed.
I will be using them in the future with my ROGUE M150 mono's
(150 glorious watts per side).My point is that less doesn't necessarily mean BAD.Bi-amping is a fine idea too,I 'll do the same also using my Mark Levinson 27,5 power amp.
Hope that helps you a little.
Bob, I ran a pair of Studio 100's v3 with Cary SLI 80 integrated tube amp with no problems, never did I have an issue with not enough power. I up graded recently to mono tube amps. Tube amps are the real deal, I learned this a long time ago with my guitar amps.
Couple of years back I used to drive Paradigm ref 100 V2 with 30 watts Jolida JD 1301 hybrid int amp with great results ...

Hope this helps !

Thanks,

Milind
Actually, I have a Cary Rocket 808 and it works fine with my monitor 7's. I also have a their 10" sub running from my gray market Shrimp-type (Manley) preamp so I don't suffer from what some people see as poor bass reproduction. Personally I think this bass complaint is false, and comes from a rock/solid state attitude (I listen to a lot of rock actually, and I can tell you the Yeah Yeah Yeah's and my wife's Bach chamber cello recordings can go head to head and scare the cats in equal measure - it can get that loud). The tubes are more in line with vinyl's RIAA equaliziation, which always has less bass. But on to more important things: basically what I was told by other tube guys, and it turns out to be true, is that speaker sensitivity is more important than wattage, and that on average, due to conservative ratings and more effecient outputs (read: scary can blow your speakers) 1 tube watt equals about 3 solid state watts. This is because most solid states have anti-meltdown circuits and the sound attenuates (distorts) accordingly. I have engineered a lot of things, grew up on Nagras as an engineer and this is the nicest set up I have heard, including (sacreligous as it is to say my monitor 7's are better) a Nagra and Tannoy pairing for mix monitoring. My 7's run at 91db and the Rocket runs at 87db, so it's really not a problem although the match is a stretch - but my preamp is pretty quiet so I don't get tube hiss, which when you have an amp with lower sensitivity you do have to worry about. They both are very sensitive though, so my advice is not to plug it into a wall outlet on the same circuit breaker as say your fridge, or you will get low db alteranting hum until you get some sort of a snazzy power cord. Basically the Rocket is super transparent while remaining warm and sounds great in full Class A triode (30 watts) or the higher wattage ultra-linear (60 watts). I say go for it but watch your pairing.
I had Paradigm Studio 80's with a Dynaco ST-70 (35wpc) and it rocked the house.
Great bass also.
The 80's are 92db 8ohm,the 100's are 91db 8ohm.
Your prospective tube amp should work fine.