How Do I Start Playing With the Big Boys and Girls

I have to agree with Sogood51. I have always liked my Mistral integrated amp but thought that I was missing something since I didn't have tubes (After all, I much prefer tube guitar amps over ss). But then I bought a PS Audio P300 Powerplant and plugged my tt, tt preamp, and cdp, and even the amp into it, and I can now say that I don't need tubes anytime soon. Turns out, I had been missing the exceptional performance that my "budget" integrated amp can provide because I was drawing dirty, uneven power. That said, sounds like you are about to embark on a journey--have fun!

Why don't you tell us about everything you're running now, and maybe also some things you might have heard which got you thinking about upgrading in the first place. And despite what sogood51 would have you believe, the first rule is that there are no rules, and there most certainly do exist tube components which can give very high-purity sound - and others which cannot, and the same with solid-state. One thing I might say to you first though, would be not to necessarily rule out a speaker upgrade as well - I'm not familiar with your speakers, but speakers in general have come a long way since you bought yours.

I'm driving my Signums with a Krell KAV 300i. This integrated has performed very well with other monitors in the Sonus Faber line as well. A double run of OCOS speaker cable really works well with this setup, as does a REL subwoofer. In my room, the sub allows me to locate the speaker a little closer to the wall which makes the detail quite vivid. In my large room, I am trading off some soundstage, and orchestral punch, for this precision, but that's my current focus.

Thank you for the many suggestions. The first thing I've done is to start to explore the reviews on the Rogue Audio pre-amps and amps. I'm intrigued with these and have emailed the company to find out who carries these in Northern New England/Boston area. To respond to some of your threads, I'd say that I could spend between 3,000 to 4,000 for the pre-amp and amp combination. The room is a fairly large living room, and dining area. Jdombrow mentioned cables which I haven't considered, and at this point I'm totally in the dark about these important accessories. When you talk about minimum power for an amp versus the speaker requirement, are you saying that the amp should be able to power no higher than the power rating for the speakers? I purchased the Sonus Faber Signums used (over eBay) and there weren't any spec sheets on a manual with them so at this point I don't know the minimum power needs are. The Signums are from 98/99. I'm running a Luxman 200 watt amp M-117, which the Signums seem to be handling. I don't mind buying used at all. In fact I like the idea of getting the original owners input on the equipment. Sogood51 and Crazyblues indicate to forget the tubes and remain solid-state, which from what I've seen so far pits the tubers against the solids with each having very strong feelings about which way to go. It must be the endless audio debate. Your continued input is very helpful. Thank you!

I stand corrected on the speakers' vintage...