Best multichannel amp for music?

Very frustrating, it may take awhile to find the right combination, but try different interconnects.

I use a Mark Levinson 433, great amp for MC and music.

If you still using the Snell C/V - this speaker has "underdamped" woofers (usual bass hump). The damping factor of the amp will play a considerable effect with this design. There is nothing wrong with your Dreadnaught but it is a low feedback design and may have higher output impedance and therefore lower electrical damping than your old Bryston. On a different type speaker design this difference would probably be negligible but as it is you are probably hearing slightly "less woofer control" on a speaker that already accentuates bass.

Since you don't like the precision/imaging of your previous amp (Bryston) then you might consider changing speakers and keep your warmer sounging dreadnaught. Choose a speaker with a critically damped design and you may be very happy. Choose something you like the sound of and avoid Snells, Watt Puppies and Proacs or any other designs with the characteristic "bass hump" of an underdamped design.

I do not have the technical knowledge to understand what you are saying. I certainly did like the imaging of the Bryston. That, along with the bass, was better in this set up than the Dreadnaught, though the Dreadnaught has other advantages. I guess I was looking for an amp that could give me the imaging and bass along with the nice warm sound of the Theta. Do I understand you correctly that what I've got is a bad amp/speaker match? I have 5 Snell speakers in this set up, and am not real excited about the prospect of auditioning a whole bunch of speakers. This may be obvious to someone who knows about damping and impedance (which I don't), but is there no amp that can do what I want with these speakers? -Dave