My current power amp an Emotiva has finally bitten the dust. I'd had been planning all along to replace it, but now the process has been hastened. I'm undecided if I want to go with seperates or an intergrated amp. If I go with separates, I'll just go with a power amp for the time being. I do plan on eventually replacing my Emotiva preamp, but since it's working fine for the time being I'm in no hurry. Budget wise for the seperates, I would like to keep it under $2000 and under $4000 for an integrated.
These are the amps I've been considering. For power amp the Rotel RB-1552 MKII, the Parasound Halo A23+, and the Belles Aria stereo amp. For integrated, I'm strongly leaning towards the Belles Aria Integrated but the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III is also under consideration. I was considering the RA Sphinx, but I gather for searching this forum that most here prefer the Belles Aria integrated. The RA Cronus Magnum is around $1200 more than the Belles Aria, so I wonder how much more one is getting in terms of sound quality for that price difference. And yes, I realize one is a tube amp and on is a solid state amp. Also, I'm considering these integrated amps because I'm looking for a a purely analog preamp section.
In searching this and other forums, it seems that between the Rotel and the Parasound, many seem to prefer the Parasound. As far as the Belles Aria, while there are great reviews and praises for these amps, information on them for the most part is quite sparse. For example are these class A/B or D amps? Even the powermodules.com site doesn't really have any info on the stereo amp.
Now on to my system. The amp will be powering a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 gen 6 speakers. Sources are a Sony SACD player and a BlueNode 3 streamer. I'm semi-seriously considering a turntable in the future. Also, I'll most likely be adding a DAC in the future. Room size is 12x14 feet.
My musical tastes vary, with preferences leaning towards classic rock, classical, female vocals, and some jazz.
What am I looking for in an amp? I'm looking for detail, tight accurate bass, and the ability to provide "slam" and dynamics especially when listening to large orchestral works. I listen to music at a moderate volume levels.
TIA. Note, the above mentioned amps are what I have in mind, but will taken suggestions on other amps in my price range.
