My recollection is that the original Extremas thrived on extraordinary power...I remember speaking with people who had heard them with Krell KSA 250s I believe. Today, I think of Gryphon Mephisto, Boulder 2100 or 3000 series...D'Agostino Momentum monos also come to mind. Perhaps the big Pass 0.8-series monos thought I dont know them well.
This is in contrast to the Homage series particularly the Guarneri which while also enjoy high power, also sounded sublime with mid-powered tubes. I think Franco Serblin himself had a Berning OTL in his factory driving the Guarneris during a review.
What do you think about Class D amplifiers, especially the newest (not older!) line of Jeff Rowland, like the 1500W Daemon integrated?
I intend to try my JRDG Daemon with an old Sonus Faber Extrema…
I just purchased a pair of Mark Levinson 436 monos which double down to 1400 watts at 2 ohms. They really rock the Extremas. I'd love to try them out on a pair of Ktemas; one of these days!