I need opinions, Schhit Freya+ and an appropriate Amp

I will play devil's advocate here. 1st and foremost, I am an old time Klipsch Heritage fan boy, Klipsch Heritage expert, and a retired audio consultant, whatever...….I know Klipsch ( the Forte II was marketed as a Heritage model after it's release ). I understand you want to spend money, likely the same amount, on electronics, as you have on the Forte IIIs. You say it sounds " fabulous " now. So many folks I know, do not feel their systems sound fabulous, as they are always looking for the next upgrade, so, you are off to a good start ( and some of these folks have much more $'s invested than you will have ). Of all of the older Japanese made receivers ( the ones with the dial tuners, as yours ), Marantz is the best in sq ( sound quality ), and, actually sound good with Klipsch. My 1st question : Are the Forte III's set up in their optimum position, and, in relation to your listening seat ? 2nd : Do you hear any room acoustic issues in your room, typically, nasty reflections, or, bass sloppiness ? 3rd : Based on the music genre preferences you have, as well as volume levels you want to achieve ( you have not stated either ), what " more " are you looking for ? In other words, what improvements in sq are you looking for ? What are your sources ( lps, cds, streaming, etc ) ? For me, this will be a good start in helping you. Enjoy ! MrD.

Mr.D, The Marantz receiver I have does sound good and the speakers are as close to optimally set up as I can given restraints of the room.
I am looking for that 3 dimensional soundstage to completely fill my 12X13.6 room, I here no reflections and the bass is taught and not sloppy.
The receiver i think is on her last legs, have had her since the mid 70's been recapped and serviced about 8 years ago and I am getting a weak left channel intermittently...and no remote.
It's time to replace with something hi value, great sound and newer technology.
I run primarily Blue Node and vinyl, classic rock, vocals, acoustic and techno are my fave's
So there ya go, do you think the Schiit is the way to go, I need to keep it around $2000 and have considered a few initegrated's but like the tube sound.

If you have efficient speakers, I would go with the Aegirs - Class A like. Also heard good things about the STA 200

I have not heard the Aegirs, but I own 2 STA 200s, which drive my several pair of Klipsch exceptionally well ( drives all my other speakers as well ). I do have many other amplifiers as well. I have also gone passive, as a preamp no longer makes sense to me, but this is a questionable area of direction for each individual. What else you can do, is to vertically, passively biamp the Forte IIIs, where one amp drives one speaker ( each of the same 2 stereo amps run the woofers and horns separately ). Incredible. Of course, you can also go the tube route ( been there, done that ). Klipsch and tubes are fantastic. As a retiree, I like simple, and solid state. I leave my gear on continuously, and enjoy, without worries of tube replacement, biasing, and, ime, noise and colorations. Tubes add color, and nothing wrong with that, if that is what you like. I hope this helps, although, I have been known to confuse folks. Enjoy ! MrD.

I own Heresy IIIs and drive 'em with an original version Freya into a Dennis Had single ended 12wpc masterpiece. That's right, masterpiece. Note that extremely efficient Fortes can be driven by anything, but sticking to lower wattage amps can save you some bucks and allow you to turn it up beyond 2. I'm thinking of adding a Pass XA25 to the mix eventually just out of curiosity (there goes my "beyond 2" theory), and will keep the Had amp to swap back and forth as hey, isn't that what serious tone freaks do? Luckily for new purchasers, the new "Freya +" amazingly seems to have more features and addresses some consumer issues for 100 bucks more. Based on my experience with the mighty 12 watts per side Had amp, one Aegir should be plenty. Note that a properly designed tube amp doesn't "color" anything, they're simply more accurate (read "atmasphere's" comments about why this is.). Ever notice how SS amps frequently claim to be "tube like" and "class A sounding?"