Best high current SS Mono amps

The nicest solid state amps I had on CLS II's years ago were Levinson 20.6's. They may sound a bit "darker" than current Levinsons which might not be a bad thing and you would save yourself a few $$. What preamp are you using?

Hello Yada,

I'm a dealer for several of the amps mentioned here (Parasound JC-1's, InnerSound, Wolcott) as well as a few not mentioned here (Clayton, Atma-Sphere) that also work very well with electrostats. My experience is mostly with Sound Labs since that's what I sell, though I do have a few customers with CLS's who have bought (and are happy with) either Wolcott or InnerSound amps. Some very good amps that I'm not a dealer for include Accuphase, Jeff Rowland, and Pass Labs. Someone mentioned the Halcros, but one of my customers tried Halcros on his Sound Labs and found that it wasn't a good match.

Each of these amps brings a slightly to significantly different set of qualities to the table, and I'd want to dig a bit more into your personal priorities before making a specific recommendation. For example, do you think you'd be more interested in a neutral-voiced solid state amp, or one that's voiced a bit on the warm side?

By the way, Yada, I think the CLS is the most physically beautiful loudspeaker ever made. And among the very finest sonically as well. In my experience the amplifier/speaker matchup is considerably more critical with electrostats than with dynamic speakers. But there are plenty of excellent amplifier choices well within your budget - the thing to do is to match up the right amplifier for your personal priorities.

Best wishes,

Duke

I've been running VTL-450's on CLSIIz's for over three years now without any tube noise - nothing but dead black silence. There is great synergy between VTL and ML - best sound at one of the hifi shows a few years ago. Also great low level detail (particularly with the VTL 5.5 preamp with NOS Telefunkens). I also have a pair for sale.

Rogue has a new tube amp out for about $6000, 250 watts per and has 4/8 ohm taps, balanced inputs. Saw a picture of it today over at AA forum, one fine looking amp but a little on the heavy side at 200 lbs.