need amp recommendations for more separation of instruments


I've noticed that if I play music that only has a few instruments playing at the same time it generally sounds great, but, if it's got a lot of instruments playing different parts at the same time it all mushes together and you can't hear the individual instruments clearly. My current rig is a NAD M10 and Focal Aria 948s. At a store, I heard 948s paired with a front end costing about $100,000 and that system did not have this problem, at least it not to my ears. That tells me that with really good electronics this problem can be greatly reduced and that the problem is more with my electronics than it is with my speakers. But $100k is out of my budget. My questions are:

  1. Are there some classes or types of amplification that are notably better at getting separation between instruments in complex music?

2.  Are there some brands that are notably better at getting separation between instruments in complex music?

3.   How much would I need to spend to get something that solves this specific problem notably better than my NAD M10?

4. How much would I need to spend to get something that's a really good solution, where I probably wouldn't notice the problem unless I went out of my way to listen for it? (I know, this differs between people, but I'm still interested in your opinion).

Thanks,

ahuvia

Lotta great information in this chat with regard to placement room treatment, etc. but I definitely agree with the gentleman that talked about doing separates and for true holographic sound. I just don’t think anything beats newer tube amplifiers. I’m not a fan of vintage gear in terms of practicality, but newer Conrad Johnson, Pre Amp like an ET5  you can get used for around four grand and a good VTLS200 (under $5k often) or a good newer classic 62 SE Conrad Johnson amp and can’t compare to SS gear at all much richer better soundstage with better separation and timbre etc…:Best To You ..:..enjoy!

Current products from Audio Research, Lamm, Naim, CJ, VAC, Linn, Pass, D’Agostino should do the trick for you. Probably many others, but these are brands I’ve heard that do a nice job of image separation.

Listen to the same recording on a pair of headphones. May help determine if the flute just isn’t prominent in the recording.

How big is your room? How far are your speakers from your ears? How fat are they apart? How far are they from the front wall? How far are you from the back wall? Do you have a carpeted floor? 
The questions can go on, but your room and the position of your speakers is where I’d start.

My Oppo, BAT, Wireworld, B&W Diamond rig excels at this kind of definition. I believe it’s called "dynamics". Usually we think of dynamics as music going from soft to loud (which it is). Dynamics also means the softest sounds VS the loudest sounds found in the music. Your system must have the capability in each chain-link to do what you are wanting.