HELP!!!! Newbie looking for a decent 2 channel power amp in the $1,000 range

+4, 5 or 6 (lost count) for Parasound. I own a Zonemaster 2350 for the past 2 years and couldn’t be happier. I have only considered going up in the line if thinking about an upgrade. I also have some AudioLab gear (no amps though) and have confidence in recommending them. I have no experience in the others mention and assume all would make you happy at your price point.

@jbuhl Yes, I am very familiar with the Wyred for sound Sonos mods however I am extremly pleased with results simply putting a Schiit Modi in the chain achieves.And based on my understanding you would still need a dac after the mod.So... why not simply deploy a decent dac, recieve as intended updates from Sonos and be done with it?   Yes the Sonos is limited to CD quality bit rate etc for... now. Beyond CD quality is a little over rated IMHO. I've learned to be patient with Sonos development; who would have thought Apple music would be lossless? But here it is.

I have several better dacs but the Modi being always on with little to no power use is set it and forget it, works well in my use cases,again I have multiple users that will be getting the benefit of my set up. I've been in the Sonos universe for the better part of 15 years now and the ease of use is outstanding sound quality can be meh to some out of the box (me included) to most...just fine.

I'm fortunate to have a family that loves music but are indifferent to audio gear sometimes I'm a little jealous :)

I recently saw a Job 225 for right at $1000.00

Goldman designed if I remember correctly

why not simply deploy a decent dac, recieve as intended updates from Sonos and be done with it? Yes the Sonos is limited to CD quality bit rate etc for... now.

I to run a ZP 90 into a Modi although not a W4S moded one. Every component in the chain makes a difference. This site is loaded with people talking about what noticeable SQ improvements you can get with upgraded digital source components. The W4S mod completely replaces the I2s bus and clocking mechanism. W4s is a respectable outfit with years of experience in Digital and Class D implementations. I don’t think they would risk reputation tarnish with fluff products. But the question is whether it makes a difference for you type of listening. I compared both unmoded and mod’d units and think it does, especially for extended listening sessions. Plenty of independent reviews out there as well. My Moded ZP90 has been in service going on 5 years.

I would speculate the Mod brings the Port up to the SQ of a Bluesound node but then you have the elegant bombproof SONOS interface. 

I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 and have been so happy. I recently weswitched to a Rogue audio Cronus Magnun 3 and and even happier. the sphinx had tons of power for my kef 104/2's. You can easily find a used one for 1k or a little more.