8-10k budget suggestions please

@asmithkash I am sure the Krell would be just as good and also the Hegel.

I am a sucker for a class A (J. Curl) designed amp.  The Halo Hint 6 really has a lot to offer.  You can adjust the subwoofer if need be from the front panel. Plenty of inputs and gobs of reserve (Big caps) power.  The dynamics are great because of this. I noticed it went up $900 since I got mine now at $3,900 at Crutchfield.  Parasound makes some nice power amps too! Then just get whatever pre-amp you like....if your speakers are bright you could go to tubes.  I guess it is all personal choice.  Do you live near Chicago? I would audition system for you.

retiredfarmer

you are definitely right about the mix of fun and frustration.  i will build around this amp.  last nigh listening to my speakers with jus the reciever and tv I'm starting to understand what people are saying about bright with the B&W  It will be interesting to see what the krell does to the system!  

alerrico

thank you so much for the offer but I'm all the way down in TX.  Gonna take a trip to Austin and then Houston to go hear some great systems!

I'll let you guys know what the krell sounds like when i get it

+1 @jeffreyw 

OP-

"I think you should give listen to the modern-day B&W diamond series. When auditioning, I compared 802D3 to Paradigm and Kef Reference. The B&Ws were the warmest of all."

Agree. I own the B&W 803 D3s and they sound wonderful to me.

B&W and Krell should sound sublime.

Enjoy!

I have heard the new B&W's are great!

You probably could run the 804s with a push pull tube amp. I wouldn’t. I prefer solid-state over push pull tube amps. Don’t confuse the loose bass of a tube amp losing control of the speaker with tube magic. It isn’t. The real magic in tube amps is single ended triode paired with the right speaker. See my prior post. My 802D3s have got pretty good sensitivity. But, Impedance curve and phase angle are horrific! Impedance drops below 2 ohms at certain frequencies. Despite their relatively good sensitivity, they are a very difficult load for any amplifier. You don’t want to run those with a single ended 3 watt amplifier.

Search enough and you will find that many like me that have been up to the edge with systems approaching $100,000 chasing the dragon and then discover what we’ve been looking for all along was hiding under our nose. We were afraid of the flea watt moniker.  Again, the rest of the equipment is imperative. Especially the speakers and EQ.  No exceptions.

We’re all different. Maybe you wouldn’t like it. But I and many others wish we had gone that route first.  More enjoyment at a fraction of the cost. What’s not to like?