McCormack DNA-1 vs Odyssey Stratus vs Marsh 400

In my opinion, any will provide and audible improvement over the Rotel.

i agree with narrod....

The McCormack amps are a great bargain in todays preowned market.
Wonderful sounding product by a master designer.
I used to own a DNA-1, reget to this day selling it.
Highly regarded. It does a nice job of creating music.

The McCormack amps produce a wider soundstage then Odyssey amps and have more headroom for driving difficult loads. I wouldn't leave out the Aragon 4004 MKII either, a very good sounding amp (dual mono) that has power and soundstaging capabilities that are difficult to find in an amp in this price range. I've owned the Marsh and thought it was a little bright sounding on my speakers and was not in my system very long. I slightly prefer the Aragon 4004 MKII over the McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe but that would change if compared to a DNA-1 with revision B. The Odyssey amps represent a very good bargain at their price point but again it can't compete with McCormack or Aragon for width of soundstage and neither the McCormack or Odyssey can compete with the soundstage depth offered by the Aragon.

You may be able to find a nice McCormack DNA-125 for under $1K unless you need the extra power. I highly recommend the 125.