Newbie amp help......why?

This is probably more than you want to spend, but I'm recommending a couple of preamp/power amp combinations that provide a lot of high end speaker control and musical refinement at a relatively low price. The first combo is from the Parasound Halo series:

Parasound Halo P3 Preamp at $799 and Parasound A23 Balanced Amplifier at $850; 125 wpc, high current to get tight control of the ported 10" woofers on your PSB Stratus Golds, smooth refinement and musically engaging detail throughout the spectrum.

The other overachieving combo would be the Vincent Audio SA-31 hybrid preamp at $499 and its matching amp, the Vincent Audio SP-331 Hybrid Power Amp for $999. Make sure you click the "Reviews" tab and read the excerpts of the reviews.

The PSB Stratus Golds deserve nothing less to bring out their bass power, overall clarity, midrange transparency, and soundstage. Either of these amp/preamp combinations will make your system come alive, and noticeable improvements over these electronic combos will likely cost significantly more. There may be a few other "overachievers" out there, and a few used deals if you know what you're doing, but in general, these are safe, reasonable entries into the world of high end electronics.

And make sure you use biwired speaker cables.

Your current limiting factor (s) is the power train and source, mainly. I suspect there are other areas you’ll need to address as well.

Personally, I like receivers. Though they do have their limitations. The very best idea I think you can proceed with is to make up your mind as to how you wish to go from here. Multi Channel? Or 2Ch. Wanna proceed modestly, or hock the family jewels?

Like yourself, though by sheer chance in my case, I heard a system a while back which simply floored me. Absolutely, hands down, flat out, the sweetest sounding rig I’d ever heard. Natural. Rich…. And wet. Full of body, and harmonic rightness.

Then I found out the price tag…. I did ponder a spurious withdrawal from a bank wherein I had no account, but the thought of a quick and clean getaway nixed the whole thing for me.

Long story short, and many here can attest as well, today my system I feel is superior to that one I heard several years ago. In fact I know it’s superior to a few others whose tags exceed good sense… and I’ve greater flexibility now with my own rig, than did that particular one. BTW that rig I heard also convinced me, as perhaps it did you, it’s what’s up front that counts.

Speakers alone will not pull off the show.

Take a gander at the other virtual rigs here on display… one can even just copy one for themselves… or by addition and subtraction, even improve upon them… That is as easy a way to go as I can think while avoiding a fair number of miscues along the way.

Or, go as I did. Ask. Listen. Research. Try. As you go you’ll find the sound you want. SS? Tubes? SET? Integrated? Digital? Analog? PC based? As it appears you’ve encountered the WAF factor already, I’d suggest a nice integrated unit. Perhaps a hybrid unit, so you can get a taste of what tubes can do for you… or not. Simple. One less set of ic’s… and usually they ain’t large overbearing or intimidating things. Many are elegant and very nice looking too.

Then I’d advise a source upgrade… or at the same time… there’s really no right or wrong way… just shorter and longer. Integrateds are a shorter path, but no shortcut in sonics and I’m near certain the improvements will easily reveal themselves over your current rigs performance.

Further, IF you tire of it, then the addition of an amp might make more sense, as you will have improved upon the preamp aspect as well.

However, do take some time first off to shuffle them speakers about a little and throw some sofa cushions into the corners behind them, Put some plants at the first reflection points and check that out! You should gain greater focus of the sound stage, right then and there.

Cabling, isolation, power conditioning, and room acoustics can be done as you go. . . . and they all do really matter.

Do have a good time and involve your better half as much as she is willing, and enjoy…. It’s all up from here.

BTW... I'm now the proud owner of a vintage XKE. It's a fixer upper, but it runs like a deer, handles very well, and is easy on gas. It doesn't get out much, and it really excels at big band jazz, vocals, blues, and pretty much anything but rap. rap seems to make it anxious and testy.

If you want to limit the number of boxes you're playing with, I'd recommend a good integrated amp that combines both amp and preamp. You can get a good used solid state integrated amp, such as a Naim Nait, for under 1K. The advantage of a good solid state unit in this price range would be better bass control than a comparably priced tube unit. On the other hand, you'll get more transparency and natural tonality out of tubes. You need to experiment and see which brings you more satisfaction.

I have to say that I disagree with the comment by Musicnoise. I personally find that I'm more tuned into the nuances of a performance and the emotional communication of artists when I'm listening through a truly high-fidelity system. This is the main reason I'm into the hobby. Sure, I can get into the tweakery of it all, but ultimately, I prefer the musical experience through a high-end system. This doesn't mean than lower fidelity has no place in my life. I have a car system and an iPod and they serve their purpose well.

What I think you will hear with "better" equipment is more accurate resolution of timbre, changes in volume and "force" (voices or instruments), small changes in pitch, and decay of notes. This is proabably what is referred to as microdynamics. The better you pickup on those performance cues, the more musical meaning IMHO. If you can also get better soundstaging and presence, all the better.

Well im a bit embarassed. i purchased a sonance 2 channel amp and it doesnt have enough power. I have to turn up the volume much higher now than when i was using the pioneer 39tx. Spur of the moment buy. I know, i know, i should have researched more. Thanks alot for the words of wisdom. im learning thru my bank account. thanks again. Kevin