suggestions for preamp/amp combos

Good luck,
And remember to listen with YOUR ears.

Efner,

Hmm, maybe I should use some of the money to get my eardrums and neural responses tested and tweaked. Make sure the balance is ok. Srry, bad humour.

I've had excellent results with a conrad-johnson CT5 and a Classe Delta 2200 amplifier. I can't tolerate bright electronics but I also don't want my system to sound sluggish or bloated. Used, this exceeds your budget a bit. The cj 17LS would be a good replacement and get you in under budget 'cause the Classe can be had for about 2800 used. In any case, I strongly recommend the solid state amp/tube preamp combo. Cary would also be another good preamp choice. The Classe is incredibly powerful and "tube-like" and can't be bettered in it's price class. The McCormack DNA 225 or 500 are also good but a bit harder to find used.

I have had the opportunity to listen to the whole range of Spendor Classic line (2/3, 1/2, 3/5, 100) and the 2/3 came out as the brighter. It was the only one of the range I didn't like. It was too bright and distracted my attention from music.

If you don't like 'bright', perhaps you should start by choosing the right speaker, as someone else suggested before in this thread.

Regards,

Chema

Spendors are not bright at all. They are among the warmer, sounding type of speakers.