Classe ca 301 is the low end weak.

I owned the Classe 301 for a few years until I moved up to the Omega. I did not feel that it lacked bass in anyway. Of course when I ran a pr. of Thiel MCS 1's I added a Genesis 900 sub but when I ran this unit with full sized floor speakers I felt that I no longer needed a sub. I ran MIT speaker cables with the 301 and felt the bass to be very full and controlled I would strongly recommend the 301 and when I can afford one I will buy it for my system!

I am still using a CA301 with a CP 65 pre and never have found it lacking in bass. It has been used with smaller Northcreek Revelators and larger Vandersteen Quatros. It was tried at a friends house with Eggelston Andras where the bass performance was very good. I have found the lower registers balanced with the rest of the spectrum not delivering the overemphasized slam some other amps are known for. Even when driven hard the amp only gets moderately warm. I have also auditioned the newer Classe Delta 2200 and did not find it a significant enough upgrade.

Thanks guys I appreciate the help as I was a little skeptical before, any other thoughts would be great.

I've owned a Classe CA-200 and never thought it to sound weak in the bass. I've also owned a BAT VK-600SE amp and a Threshold T-400. The BAT VK-600SE was excellent, but well out of your price range. The Threshold T400 is the best amp I've heard in your price range, but the IGBT transistors would be a concern to me since they are obsolete.

Bottom line, I can't imagine that the Classe CA-301 would lack in the bass performance for you.

You may also want to consider amps from Coda and McCormack.

Cheers,
John

Cheers,
John

I like John's recommendations and I would add that maybe Belles might fit as well.