Stereophile 11/2016
Herb Reichert

Let us pretend . . . you have a pair of loudspeakers that have proven themselves to sound articulate and musically responsive in your room, without excess boom, bloom, or frail leanness. They mate with your décor and impress your friends. But maybe you're bored, and feel certain that your speakers would sound better with a better amplifier than the one you have now. Maybe you feel an urge to spend money? Perhaps a new amp will make your records sound the way you imagine they should sound?
I have had these thoughts many times.

The good news: It is much easier to find the right amp for your speakers than it is to find the right speakers for your amp.

The bad news: Finding the perfect amp for a beloved pair of speakers can still be difficult, because every amp you try will make your speakers sound different—better, or worse. Your perfect power amp is surely hidden in plain sight, somewhere on the Internet or at your local audio salon—but you don't know where to begin looking.

You might start by visiting your local dealer, and telling him about those speakers you love, and about your psychoacoustic eccentricities, and about your budget. Then listen—to him, to the advice of his salespeople, to his demonstrations—with relaxed ears and an open, trusting mind. I know this to be a good plan.

But before you begin that process, I recommend that you try what I do all the time: Ask a lot of questions that represent your concerns, and study a wide range of anecdotal accounts of amplifiers and speakers by interrogating your friends, audio-salon gurus, and random Facebook ideologues. Study your favorite reviewers, blogs, and audio forums. This is usually fun, and can be a mind-expanding way to make new friends. These conversations won't solve your problem, but they should make you less lonely, and may narrow the field to a manageable list of choices. If your loudspeaker model has been around a while and is reasonably popular, there will be scores of other owners willing to share their experiences with various amps—and for me, shared experiences are always the best place to start.

Then, armed with shared wisdoms, visit your dealer, tell him what you've learned anecdotally, and begin listening to music with greater confidence.

Recently, while reviewing Falcon Acoustics' LS3/5a speakers (footnote 1), I asked this question of an online forum devoted to the BBC's LS3/5a Type II minimonitor: "What are the best amps to drive these new Falcons?" I received dozens of suggestions, but there was little consensus. Most people mentioned old stuff: the Musical Fidelity A1, the Naim Nait, the Sugden A21, the Harman/Kardon Citation V, the Bedini 25/25, etc., etc. But one amplifier brand was mentioned more often than any other, and it was not a maker of classic, discontinued models now available only used and in need of expensive rebuilds: "Try a PrimaLuna!," many forum respondents said. Some suggested that I try the DiaLogue Premium HP integrated amplifier ($4399), reviewed two years ago by Stereophile's most charming audio sage, Robert Deutsch.