Amplifier upgrade advice under $2000


Hi!  I have a new pair of speakers on order and want to upgrade my power amplifier to be ready when they arrive.  My current system is Klipsch Heresy III, Onkyo M504 amp, MiniDSP SHD preamp/streamer/room correction, and SVS SB12 sub.

Scheduled to arrive in December are Ohm Walsh 2000.  Research indicates these like a lot of power.  If the Ohms don’t work out I’ll shop for a used B&W 804, so still probably needs good power.

So, with a budget under $2000, wondering if I can get something that sounds significantly better than the Onkyo.  Used is fine.  Brands I have seen come up in the price range are Classe (ca-150), Vincent (331MK), Krell, PS Audio, Parasound, Bryston, etc.

I want to know if this would be a significant upgrade in this price range.  My sense is that brands like Rotel, Adcom, Emotiva, etc. would probably not change the sound all that much.  I also have a Crown ps-400, for example, that sounds pretty much identical to the Onkyo.

I recently tried out a Rogue Atlas Magnum tube amp.  It sounded great with the Heresys, a definite upgrade. Unfortunately  it created a loud speaker hum that I was unable to fix.  But it did make me crave the tube sound.  But it seems like finding a high powered tube amp to work with the Ohm Walsh is going to be challenging.

Sorry for the rambling, basically, is it worth spending $1-2K on a new amp or should I wait until I can get into a higher price range before ditching the Onkyo (which has those awesome green meters!).  Thanks!
judsondickie
@yogiboy , is there a particular Van Alstine you recommend?  I got immediately intrigued by the 400R hybrid ($2699) but see there are some nice ones below $2K.  

@phcollie  In terms of what I'm looking for I might not be fully equipped with the audiophile knowledge to say.  I also don't have the Ohm Walsh 2000's yet to know if there are issues.  With previous speakers I've had (Heresy III, B&W dm2, Dynaudio Evoke 30) they each had pluses and minuses.  The hi-end on the Dynaudio sounded fantastic, really silky and sparkly, especially on female vocals.  The Heresy is not as smooth but has a bigger soundstage and gives more of that live concert feel.  None of these (with this amp) have been able to do rock or heavy metal very well.  I listen to alot of 90's and Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Metallica have all sounded muddled and lacking seperation in the midrange.  So maybe that's an issue with the Onkyo amp.  I listen to a bit of everything so hoping to find an all-around good system.

Hard to say what i'm expecting in this price range.  I have heard some way more expensive Magico and B&W 800 based systems that just made everything sound incredible.  
+1 phcollie.  
I just looked up your preamp and thats a cool little piece.  Probably a better pre than I originally thought.

Your onkyo isn’t horrible either from what ai can tell.  
It might be smart to slow down, get the speakers and see how everything sounds, THEN go after whatever is going to best fix what you feel is lacking, if anything!


@ Judsondickie,
          Now that you have defined what you are looking for, pass that detail along to someone at Ohm and ask specifically what some of the pairings they used when they went to a show.  Dig for info. Find the amp that has proven to be a good pairing, then save up and buy one new.  I went so far in my search as to look up show records that gave system details of rooms. I'd be surprised if it doesn't sound better with what you have, OHM W did the NY Audio Show in 2017 with a simple Outlaw RR2160 Receiver.  Punch above your weight on your amp, and take that out of the equation for the next 10 years.  Cheers.