System Upgrade - Report and Feedback

[Bliss Hifi]

I would strongly agree that the richer Goldmund sound will be a much better fit tonally than the ultra-neutral to analytical sound that the CH Precision amps deliver. There’s a chance you will be wanting more control from the amplifier as you turn up the volume, but you should try it out first with the speakers before jumping to other amps. The X is actually easier to drive than the XB (3.5 Ohm minimum at 50Hz vs the 2 Ohm of the XB), so I would worry less about the impedance dips and overall pay attention to the level of control you can retain as you turn it up. Of course, better amps will enable the speakers to perform above and beyond.

As for the amp brands your dealer has, I wouldn’t hesitate to pair the speakers up with Gryphon. Tonally they are very muscular and Class A sounding, which is very similar to how Estelon and Vitus pair so well together.

X Diamond vs Forza what amp would you suggest I have the MSB M205s running my X Diamond MKII and love it but worry they aren't enough for the Forza, so looking at the MSB M500's but welcome your thoughts.

You should check with your amplifier dealer (or with MSB directly) to see if there are any current or voltage gains in going from the 205s to the 500s. If the M500 is similar in delivery of voltage and current and simply gives more power, there’s really no benefit in going up the chain. The Forza is actually more sensitive than the X (88-89dB vs the X’s 87dB), so you need more current and voltage, not power.

I respect MSB highly but do not have enough first-hand experience with the brand’s amplifiers. Pure Class A designs tend to work best with the Forza. While the MSB has a discrete Class A input stage, it looks like the output stage is AB. I would likely choose 100-200wpc Class A amplifiers over a 500wpc AB amplifier for the Forza.