Hi JCraig6, I don't know any of your equipment, so I cannot make a judgement. I have always found B&W to be too bright for my ears, however. I have heard the 801, 802 and 804 and make that judgement based on those speakers. Your electronics are completely unknown to me. I would say that if you buy the Ayre and your system still sounds bright or harsh, which it could, then the problem is elsewhere than the amp. That amp has an extremely smooth and non-fatiguing high end. Even though you claim to not be an audiophile, you have sonic likes and dislikes. This equipment is too expensive to buy something that you will not be happy with. I urge you to listen before buying. In this price range, while no component ever sounds perfect, you should not have to make major compromises on sound quality. My recommendation is that if anything sounds overly bright or at all harsh to your ears, find out why, by exchanging other components into and out of the chain. You need to ensure that the source of the brightness or harshness is not the component you are interested in buying. And you want to hear the component under its best circumstances to see what its potential or capability is. I think you can build a superior sound system around either the Ayre or Plinius amp. Whether your current gear matches one, both or either is something you will have to determine.
