Thanks for all the help. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of retailers who will loan me units to audition. I liked the idea of bi-amping and may give that a try in the future.
Tube Neophyte
Love my current system (Arcam Alpha 9 CD, Bryston 20BP/3BST and B&W N803) but, as those familiar with the products might guess, the upper end can often be a bit bright. Primarily listen to jazz and clasical. From reading the forum threads I am tempted to try a tube pre to tame the strings. Looking at the usual suspects - CJ PV14L, Rogue 66/99, VTL 2.5 and ARC 15 or 16L. Will keep the ss amp until money and tube experience motivate an upgrade. Any opinions?