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If you are still using the Aliante Pinafarina Ones,

you are missing a lot. Speakers similar to Sonus Faber need a very low output impedance in the amp to come to life. No matter how big the transformers are, an 845-based SET amp cannot approach the level of control these speakers require.

I had the chance to hear Sonus Faber Avanti Homage speakers driven by Gilmore Audio Raptor switching amps, with less than 50 milliohms output impedance. The setup was temporary and not optimized, and the cables were nothing special. The source was a Wadia 850.

The rendition of voices in good opera recordings was the closest to live that I've heard. The speakers' owner was ecstatic. He has a room full of fancy SET and push-pull tube amps that have not been able to get out of their own way when driving these speakers.

I've heard good sound from Kara Chaffee's deHaviland 845 monoblocks, but the GM-70 amps are better. IMHO, SET amps with suitable tubes and speakers are satisfying because they are free of crossover distortion. They are highly dependent upon good output transformer design, however. The Raptor switching amps do not have crossover distortion, and are free of the power supply RF noise problems that plague most switching designs. They have better resolving power, because they do not have transformer coupling. They are an excellent power source for speakers that need low output impedance.

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