A queston of Classe', or other amps

Several years ago I visited my Magnepan dealer with the cash in my pocket, and the prior intent to take home a pair of Magnepan 1.7i speakers. Driving the maggies was a Classè CP-800 preamp and a big pair of Classè CT-M600 Monoblock power amps.

I may have happily listened to the Magnepan 1.7i speakers for almost two hours when on a lark I asked to listen to the Magnepan 3.7i speakers. In only six notes I knew I would never be happy with the 1.7i speakers so I drove home with the cash still in my wallet and a plan to save up for the Magnepan 3.7i speakers.  It took a while for me to save another $4,000.

I am old and I must have the features that a remote control offers. Mostly just volume control; I am straight wire with gain kind of guy. I have owned RTA and equalizers but after the dog and pony show I always revert back to the clean basics. My critical application is stereo music.  Yes I have the Magnepan set up for home theater but I don’t see that as critical or near as interesting as 2 channel music. My only source of music is my Oppo 103d optical drive (as DAT) with my music collection on a 2TB USB hard drive. My days of tape decks, vinyl and tuners are forever over.

The only thing I did not like about the audition was the heat. The combination of Classe’ amps made the 18’x24’ showroom unbearably hot after only two hours of listening. My home listening room (only slightly smaller) is near my home thermostat and I can easily see the amps shutting down my furnace in the winter and tripling my AC bill during the summer.  I’m not going to do that.  Then again, do the mono blocks run any cooler with music at conversation levels?

So almost 3 years ago I purchased a new pair of Magnepan 3.7i speakers and a Rotel RC-1590 preamp (<0.002% THD). Those feed my 40 year old Yamaha M-2 power amp (350w+350w) into 4 ohms with <0.005% THD. And it all sounds OK, just OK. It does not sound as good as I remember with the Classè amps which just took my breath away.

When the current zombie panic is over. the dealer has a demo Classè CP-800 in stock which he told me I could have at a good price. Common sense tells me a clean 700wpc of the Classè monoblocks for 4 ohm speakers might be fun but should not be necessary (nor are they very affordable).  Am I wrong to assume I only need a preamp and not both pre and power amps?

I think my Maggies are well placed about five feet away from the back wall. I don’t think this is as simple as a speaker placement issue?

The Classè dealer also sells Acoustic Research preamps and PrimaLuna. I don’t know if I would group PrimaLuna with Acoustic Research and Classè?

 If I knew I wanted the 3.7i speakers after 6 notes; the difference to my ears was that obvious.  Could my Rotel be that mediocre? Am I going to spend $5,000 on a Classe’ pre amp and then wish I also purchased the monoblocks?

Is it my imagination that Classè monoblocks always act like 100,000 watt space heaters or is that only when pushed hard?

Sorry to be so long winded, I hoped that by expressing all the germane facts up front one might expedite the discussion.

 BTW, my preferences in music amounts to almost anything except Rap; mostly Jazz, Blues, Gospel, to a lesser extent some Classical and some Rock and Roll.