ICE Amps for classical music?

Eldartford - Not only that small portion of classical requires high SPL but there are other genres like Blues, Jazz, Folk, World, R&B, Soul, Pop, Indian Classical, Reggae, Alternative & Punk, Latin etc. where very high SPL is not desired. I listen to all of the above and high SPL music is perhaps less than 1% of total. Sure it is nice to be ready but I have other constrains (like neighbors). My new speakers, larger and more expensive than previous, have similar bass extension but much greater midbass energy and very real bass attack and decay. Designer most likely tuned them for the lowest distortion and not the extension. Bass guitar players often use bass enclosures with a lot of 10" woofers instead of 15' or 18" to achieve better definition of the bass (18" sounds "wooly") - similar principle in DALI Megaline.

Now comes the room. When I play louder imaging is getting worse. It is because my room is less than perfect and at high sound levels many more reflections are still audible. My room is unfortunately not dedicated to music alone and fixing the problem becomes very difficult (especially at lower frequencies).

As for "deepest bass organ pipes are felt in your stomach" - it would give me stomach ache, I'm sure (and wife would leave me).

I'm surprised that Maggies 1.6 can keep up with your 6 subwoofers.

Muralman1, as I am a Dvorak fan, what performance of the 9th symphony are you referring to? G. 

Guido -- Pending Muralman's answer, if you don't already have it do try to find and purchase Horenstein's performance as remastered on Chesky (CD31). I would apply Muralman's words identically to that recording, and you will not believe that it was recorded in 1962!

I also enjoy the Slatkin/Telarc (on LP) for its overall combination of performance + sonics.

Best regards,
-- Al

Eldartford: The best illustration of what my set of large subwoofer drivers can do is to play pipe organ music. Not all organ music has loud bass, but when it does you should FEEL it in your stomach, and my system does achieve this. Also, when the SPL is moderate, the large drivers are loafing compared with small drivers that would be generating large excursion, with attendant distortion.

Obviously I could not enjoy such a system if my nearest neighbor were not about 600 feet away with woods in between the houses.

I would be more concerned with the structural integrity of my house than with the neighbors!

My closest neighbors are about 200 feet away, through the woods. However, iirc I have only played my 1978 direct-to-disk recording of "The Power and the Glory," on M&K Realtime, once. During which playing the windows in the room were set into easily audible vibration, and after which I found a couple of paint chips on the floor that had formerly been part of the ceiling! :)

Best regards,
-- Al

Guidocorona, I have 3 different Dvorak 9th. The CDR someone sent me is the best by far. That was a long time ago. I wouldn't be the least surprise it is the Chesky version.

My hair on the back of my neck stands up when a effervescent violin is played sounding like a cowering shiver, bookended between two emphatic passages.