So Hard to Decide on an Amp

"Porsche; there is no substitute"

Same could be said for McIntosh...

+1 @speakermasterI think you should get a preamp also. Or an integrated. Those exists in prices up to $30k or so.

And I think you should ask this question in the amp section. You will probably get a lot of answers.

I like the Schiit Ragnarok. If your speakers aren't very inefficient this may be a great upgrade for you. Or get two Vidar and a Freya+.

"...."Pro amps" meant for sound reinforcement systems. Quality home audio, they are not."

*sigh* A life spent going to concerts and live performances to be told I was enjoying cr*p..... :(

Thanks for that....I guess some of the ’pro audio’ stuff I apply is tasteless trash, although to my deluded ears and mind it seems to work rather well.
Esp. with the ridiculous collection of speakers that please me with their ’reinforcement’ in my space....well, spaces, but that’s another rant for another forum on another day...

All the posts that conclude with "...listen to what pleases your ears, your mind..." were also conclusions of the un’woke’.....

Delusions of Illusions....

I’m surprised MC hasn’t weighed in on this thread yet.....perhaps he’s enjoying his particular collection of delusion illusion devices. ;)

All the posts about all the ’differences’ between amps, pre-amps, DACs’, speakers, cables....how they ’synergize’ differently...

Note I’ve avoided including turntables, carts, A, A/B, D, CD, streaming, streamcasters....

Or....Analog or Digital.

Or...where you have and what it may or may not have effecting what you’re listen to.....

I guess that one ’philes near-Nirvana is another’s’ Hades, even if undetected as such....*big sigh*

I guess I’ll just have to go on listening to it...deluded by my illusions. ;)

@socalml528...Lotus. You’re welcome.

I’ll take a Toyota engine with just a ’tweaked’ chip over one that has spark plugs that can make one gasp at the $ required to make it run proper.

...but I’m just....delusional....*smirk*

...and perhaps just a weird troll tonight...:)

OP, pick your flavor.  It'll either work out of the box for you, or trigger further 'refinement(s).

Enjoy, J 👍

russ69 and lewm: I'll bet that the Crown XLS-1502/2502 "pro" amps sound as good as any four-figures "audiophile" amps!