help with s.s. amp upgrade


greetings. have been slowly upgrading my system over the last few months. just began doing a little homework here on audiogon. i am in the market for a good used 1-2k S.S. amp.

am considering a variety of options...
arragon 8008bb - krell ksa-150 - mccormick dna -125, 250 - classe 15 etc.

without having the opportunity to actually sit down and let my ear be my guide - i was hoping to borrow a bit from your listening expertice. what can you tell me about each?

out of all these listed {and any that i missed} which is going to express more of the artists truer intention though the music? i.e. read some great reviews on the mccormick not coloring the sound... blah blah blah.

current system:

power plant: PS Audio PS-600

pre-amp: Audio Research LS3

cd: Naim CD5i

amp: Rotel RB 981 {120 wpc}

speakers: Paradigm Studio 100's V3.

speaker cables: Transparent "The Wave"

interconnects: Interlink "The Link" 200

any of this i should consider revamping?

the listening room is 13 x 22 with vaulted ceilings.

i plan on upgrading my speaker cables/interconnects a.s.a.p. and playing around quite a bit with room accustics. hoping to rest and enjoy for a bit after upgrading this phase.

thanks in advance.
timtopper
i only have experience with the 8008bb. i haven't heard any of the other amps. the aragon was the most neutral amp that i used (except for a pair of palladium ii monos). i don't think the aragon concern you regarding coloring the music. i haven't heard any classe amps, though i've often heard them characterized as warm so this may be a negative if you're concerned about the integrity of the music. obviously you should listen to as many as you can and decide for yourself. just my 2 cents.
A used GamuT D-100 Mk.3 is for sale on Audiogon for $1750. This is a wonderful ss amp. It is very natural, musical (tube like), dynamic, transparent with about as good a sound stage you can get anywhere. This sounds virtually identical to the D-200 with 3 DB less headroom. There are about seven reviews which rate the D-200 at a reference level. In Europe GamuT is rated as one of the top few amps in the world. You could not go wrong with this amp. Another great deal would be a used Pass Labs Aleph 5, but not quite as good as the GamuT.
Tim,What kind of music do you listen too? I have a CJ MF2500A that sounds great with Studio100 V2,
I second Raytheprinters recommendation pertaining to the cj MF2500A. I utilized one to drive a pair of thiels before moving on to a cj premier 350 and it was a very musical amp. Should be a great match up with your AR pre-amp.
This is easy and a no brainer for your system. Buy an ARC 100.2 it is excellent in all parameters. Don't take my word, read the feedback on audioreview.com