My musical tastes are relatively close to yours. I have tried well over 30+ amps in the last three years and found the two listed below to be very well balanced and excellent full range performers. Both are relatively available on the used market. A very nice sounding amp for the money is a Forte' 6 or 6A. These were designed by Nelson Pass when he was with Threshold. The only difference between the standard 6 and the 6A is that the A also offers balanced inputs along with the standard RCA's. These are very "sweet & airy" while still delivering reasonable punch on the bottom end. Excellent detail yet not analytical enough to make you forget that your enjoying the music. Plenty of oomph for most occasions ( 200 @ 8 / 350 @ 4 ). They typically run about $600 to $650 on the used market in good shape with box and manual. If you don't need that much power, the 4 or 4A will suffice. The 6 is the AB version of the full Class A model 4 that is rated for 50 @ 8 and 100 @ 4. Cost is about the same as the 6 / 6A. Next on the list would be the standard Sunfire amp. You might be amazed at how good this amp sounds. Not quite as "sweet & airy" as the Forte' 6, but still excellent for the cash. Bass has more impact while retaining a good / smooth high end. It is a nicely balanced amp. Don't write this amp off because of any "hoopla" about "Sideshow Bob". You can find these for anywhere between $800 ( KILLER deal ) up to about $1200. Depending on if you like to "play", you can even try bi-wiring your system using the various combinations of "current" or "voltage" outputs on this amp. Sean >
