84, my recollection is that the original 545 was a bit bright and build quality was uncharacteristically unimpressive (the 555ii, otoh, was built like a tank). i do understand that the 545 mkii was an upgrade, though i haven't heard it, so by all means solicit other opinions. i will say that in the same price range, i like the parasound hca the best (i used one for a long time with an adcom 750 pre, but i've never heard it with b&w. any of the foregoing would be easy enough to resell, so it'd be worth experimenting. good luck