STI-1000 Overrated or not?

I can assure you it will sound different, not like McIntosh.

Which is better? Hard to say.

Give it some time for the gear to breakin and your ears to acclimate and see.

Both companies make very good gear. Individual preferences and tastes will vary. I would say W4S is not overrated, though Class D is perhaps not for everyone (what is?).

Icepower/Class D sound I have heard is somewhat tubelike in mids and highs, smooth though not warm. Should balance with Harbeth well I would think, though likely not for those that strive for a very warm sound , which is something I associate with Harbeth. Bass, especially in terms of damping and control, may sound way different with W4S, but only witt larger and better speakers capable of delivering all teh intricacies in the bass. I would expect significant noticeable difference in the bass with the Harbeths. Differences in tonal balance can result in perceived soundstage and imaging presentation differences also. Different most likely, but hard say which might be better. A lot has to do with personal preference.

Thank you guys for the input.

Guess it will need more time to settle in then.

And I will probably hold on to my 7106. I am just surprised a mc that's supposed to be a ht amp can still hold its own, maybe not the last word on resolution but overall impact and power which makes music so much more engrossing and emotional.

You could try moving your speakers a couple inches closer to room boundaries. It may be telling you things about your room you weren't aware of before.

Ddd makes a good point.

I had to adjust my speaker location after moving to a Class D Icepower amp in that the soundstage and imaging opened up quite a bit which required re-tweaking of speaker location to get right. Not uncommon whenever a significant change in amplification is made.

thanks guys! will try to move the speakers around hopefully that helps.