I can contribute a bit of Thiel historical perspective. Among all the good, great and worthy amps out there, Thiel gravitated toward a few brands, who also gravitated toward Thiel speakers for mutual product development. This thought is up to 1995 when I lost touch. Those amps of choice included Krell, Mark Levinson, Bryston and Conrad Johnson (and early Classe & Threshold). Part of what manufacturers need is political affinity: sharing dealers, design philosophy, potential mutual customers, and so forth. But they also need performance-compatible products that make each other sing. There are undoubtedly other good matches out there, I'm just sharing where Thiel as a company, that is Jim Thiel as a designer, felt most at home.