RB1080 for 803D?

Say you have 10 grand... You could buy $ 300 ( Bose 301s) and Mcintosh mono blocks or you could buy B&W 803D and an $800 Onkyo reciever.... Speaker make the Biggest difference.

...or, you could spit that $10k 60/40 (allocating either side to speakers, the rest to the amp) and crush both of your scenarios.

Believe what you want. Trust me, I understand your stance, as I once believed it myself. I was wrong.

I just think there are good "budget" amps out there (Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Rotel, etc) that bring a lot of bang for the buck. I think it is best when you start a system to buy the best speakers you can. Buy a good "budget" amp and up grade the amp when you have more money. If you do not have good speakers all benefits of the system up stream will be negated.

Anyway I find the source makes a larger impact than the amp... assuming you are not under powering you speakers...

By speakers being 90% of the equation I meant the character/tone of they system is largely controlled by the speakers.

For example.

#1 Take a Mcintosh integrated amp (MA7000, 250wpc) and a pair of Sophias vs the same Mcintosh integrated an a pair of 802D... you would have TOTALY different sounds.

#2 Now take the same pair of Sophias and change out the Mcintosh integrated for a Musical Fidelity amp (A5 250wpc). The system would sound different but it would not be as drastic as the change in system#1

So I feel my money is best spent on speakers. But respectfully to each their own.