professosvsu,
Perhaps you can turn off the stereo and listen to a jam box while you are pondering which direction that you need to take to achieve amplifier nirvana. The truth is, I am on a similar pilgrimage. I am fortunate, or not, to have a sidekick with wooden ears who couldn't care less about sound quality. For her, music isn't something she appreciates. So, spending money on a sound system is carefully scrutinized before committing to buy that next best component.
Currently I am using two A23's to bi-amp a pair of older JBL speakers. This a great match up of power requirement and clean power output. Yes, I raised an eyebrow from the boss when I spent over $200.00 dollars for supplies to build two pairs of Helix cables that build instructions were published in another tread. By the way, the cables are a major improvement over the bulk Monster cable that I was using.
I might be opening a can of worms and a subject for another thread. You stated above, " This will probably be the last piece of equipment I ever buy and I want be confident in my decision ". Are you sure that the amplifier is really the piece of the puzzle that is missing? In my mind, a superior pre-amp is the Holy Grail of components that motivates my quest.
As I was told when my Vector Research bit the dust, it is important to have good amplification but the pre-amplifier is a more significant factor if one has balanced power need and output. I use a Wyred4Sound DAC to feed files from my PC into a Parasound P3. The P3 is the component I question in my system. Before I spend over $5000.00 for a pre-amp that "MIGHT" take my listening experience to the land of bliss I will try upgrade power cords. I can assemble three power cords using the Helix instructions with an added tweak for under $400.00. They can be used with new equipment if my listening experience still falls short.
Back to the jam box. Take your time and evaluate the shortcomings of the boom box compared to your stereo system. After careful contemplating and the Spring thaw begins you may realize that your system sounds great and and you were just delirious from cabin fever. :D
Perhaps you can turn off the stereo and listen to a jam box while you are pondering which direction that you need to take to achieve amplifier nirvana. The truth is, I am on a similar pilgrimage. I am fortunate, or not, to have a sidekick with wooden ears who couldn't care less about sound quality. For her, music isn't something she appreciates. So, spending money on a sound system is carefully scrutinized before committing to buy that next best component.
Currently I am using two A23's to bi-amp a pair of older JBL speakers. This a great match up of power requirement and clean power output. Yes, I raised an eyebrow from the boss when I spent over $200.00 dollars for supplies to build two pairs of Helix cables that build instructions were published in another tread. By the way, the cables are a major improvement over the bulk Monster cable that I was using.
I might be opening a can of worms and a subject for another thread. You stated above, " This will probably be the last piece of equipment I ever buy and I want be confident in my decision ". Are you sure that the amplifier is really the piece of the puzzle that is missing? In my mind, a superior pre-amp is the Holy Grail of components that motivates my quest.
As I was told when my Vector Research bit the dust, it is important to have good amplification but the pre-amplifier is a more significant factor if one has balanced power need and output. I use a Wyred4Sound DAC to feed files from my PC into a Parasound P3. The P3 is the component I question in my system. Before I spend over $5000.00 for a pre-amp that "MIGHT" take my listening experience to the land of bliss I will try upgrade power cords. I can assemble three power cords using the Helix instructions with an added tweak for under $400.00. They can be used with new equipment if my listening experience still falls short.
Back to the jam box. Take your time and evaluate the shortcomings of the boom box compared to your stereo system. After careful contemplating and the Spring thaw begins you may realize that your system sounds great and and you were just delirious from cabin fever. :D