Tough hypothetical question....

oops, I forgot the sub!!! Let's say it is in the AV 5.1 part, not in stereo   

but it would not change anyhting

in terms of how close - I think it will depend on the quality of the new subs. I would put two C6 but the OP does not allow to use the same brand and I dunno what other good sub models are there. so, another 2-3 grand towards subs then.

dreaming on!

Thanks oldric..I'm planning to downsize(less boxes). with regards to wishtree's post about the Inpol2 which is a bit slow,I may steer clear cause Im used to fast,agile ang lively presentation of Naims. BTW I've demoed both Plinius Hautonga and Hiato at home for 2 weeks and was not impressed with the Hautonga despite the 200w/pc compared to Naims. With the Hiato,there's more grip,punch and well mannered than the Hautonga. IMO the Hiato is a "beast" of integrateds but not as musical as the Naims.

Just want to set the context about the speed of Inpol2. I had Marantz PM-11 and then Inpol2 and then Classe CAP-2100, now Classe CA-2100. In that context it is a very tiny bit slower. Also it is because Inpol2 does a slow motion trick - well that's how I would like to call it - since you are able to hear the tiny pauses in the music so well, it feel like you are getting a lot more but a tad slow. 

I wish I had other amps to compare the speeds and see where exactly it fits.

If you did, I can say that you won't be disappointed with 201/2. Though the deal I am going through is not the smoothest, the sound they produce is very smooth and airy. Loving them!

Hi WT,

I'm torn between these 3 amps..But my local dealer does'nt stock Pathos so It's hard for me to decide..I know hifi listening is subjective but  contrary to Cno's post that Focal's are on the forward side,I may or not agree if he heard the1028be with naims with(chord powerchord/TQ cables)?Thanks WT:)

Hi IM

IMO,. Never rule out a Class A amp for being "slow" until you hear it yourself, as due to their design, most have a very quick transient response...and we all hear things differently (like my view on Focal).

If possible, I would add Electrocompaniet and Classe to your excellent list as well.....both very musical.

I am with you on this.. it could be the mix of the tubes in the pre as well.. May be the Classe does things really well

If I do not care so much about the Power inefficiency & heat radiation of Inpol2 then I would have still kept it (Also lack of HT bypass was a big trouble for me back then)

Have you considered doing this for real?

Velodyne DD series and Paradigm are superb subs, and SVS make great VFM ones as well.

Yes, I guess because these combinations seemed to have a certain synergy (though an over-used word in our hobby) and this is what I mostly find lacking these days in even spectacularly good systems.  They don't gel too well, just do some amazing things as well as some odd ones.  A bit like a great instrumentalist on an off day, you might say.

I'd struggle to name other makes that would give the 'wide open' Krell sound merged with the sheer beauty (and euphonic coloration) of the SFs.  I could be tempted by Audio Research and Martin Logan, but simply don't have the space, and a new room wasn't on offer!  

Alchemist Forseti signature per and power amps, Meridian G06 cd player with dac and AE1signature speakers. All old kit but awesome sound, very close to my old setup.

I might have gone for a Pioneer Exclusive turntable, but then I remembered I've got a Pioneer active crossover. So that's disqualified. That would leave a Sony PSX-9 as an alternative.

For speakers I might knock 2 big holes in one internal wall of my listening room and mount some Quad Electrostatics there. I'd remove the input transformers from the Quads and get a custom built valve amp with no output transformers connected directly to the Quads via some well insulated, well ducted cables.

Or I might go for a pair of Vitavox cinema speakers with Jeff Korneff 45 based SET amplification.

I'm wondering why nobody so far actually done this commercially? ESL dedicated amps. it makes perfect sense. why would anybody need 2 sets of transformers; one converting high voltage into current and another doing the reverse?

Safety. Very high voltage lines in a domestic environment. If you stuck the amps in the same enclosure as the speakers, you'd then have possible microphony issues with the valve amp.

what enclosure?

but seriously; you wouldn't need more than about 0.5m of cable to connect the amp to the speakers. this configuration out of necessity rules out proud displaying of your tube gear on your hi-fi rack. but would also minimise safety hazard associated with high voltage lines. or it wouldn't?