Best Power amps in $7000 range

If it ain't broke....then why fix it? What speakers are you driving? 400 watts might be overkill for most typical 6" woofer type domestic speakers. Unless you are driving big pro type woofers (large 4" voice coils) much of that "extra" amplifier power may simply be turned into more heat and thermal compression or just may not be needed.

...just a thought. $7000 new is a lot of doe to replace your exiting and working CA-300 even if it is old.

Edge NL 10.1 - if you can find it used , would be in your price range. It is 225wpc if you need even more power.....well 12.1 is rated at 300wpc in 8 Ohms. It is list at around 20K , used might not be possible to find in your budget.

Another.....more realistic recommendation would be
Pass Labs X350.5. List price is under 10K

If I had to choose the amp from solid state family , those two would be at the top of my list.

From tube amps , I would look for VAC amps. Sound great and planty of juice.

Mariusz

I went from an inexpensive, lower powered Bryston (3B-ST) to a moderately expensive, high powered Mac (MC402) so a comparison between the brands is unfair in my experience. Having said that, I did find the Bryston sound to be a little bright and sibilant. The Mac is everything I've wanted in a power, however, it is not as powerful and dynamic as the power ratings would suggest. You should definitely add Pass Labs to your short list

The Classe seems to have some kind of static sound that crops up occasionally. It only happens when certain songs play and only at particular frequencies. I have no idea what it is nor do I want to pay the $100 each way to mail it to Montreal and have Classe bill me $75/h to fix it (I contacted them and that is how much it costs). When it doesn't do this, it sounds absolutely amazing. I don't even care if a new amp sounds better, I just want it to sound as good as the Classe. I figured, I have the money now and may not in the future, so I want to buy a very good "new" amp that I know will last a long time. I have Usher speakers, rogue preamp, music hall table with a grado cartridge, and an old pioneer elite pd-65, which I will not replace until it stops working.

Adamg, do you think the Mcintosh would be as powerful and dynamic as the Classe CA300?