New SS integrated choice....Rotel 1572Mk2, Audiolab 7000A, Exposure 2510

I have a Sugden A21 (class A) which is superb and has a MM phono stage---I'd say it's pretty close or equal to the Exposure. IMO, you can go wrong with British audio equipment. That being said, I also have a Belles Aria integrated which is also an awesome piece. Haven't had any issues. May I ask what issues did you hear about?

The feedback I got was that the number of issues/failures on the Belles amps had risen materially in the last few years unlike ever before experience. This was stated by 2 different dealers OTR. Both said they were concerned about this and so while the line had good sound, given where I live and the concerns over reliability, they would suggest I try other brands. The fact it came up 2x concerned me. To be fair, in both conversations I directly questioned what brands were most reliable as well as sounding good and Belles was not the only one that came up. All mentions were about smaller manufacturers which frankly leads me to believe that its a QC issue in smaller shops. I was frankly discouraged because it was the one amp I had heard and really liked. I have spent hours researching other amps as a result and had found numerous reviews which helped generate the 3 I focused in on. Over the last day I have also read quite a bit about Musical Fidelity MS5i and am adding that to the list as well as the Hegel a member suggested. I was actually thinking last night maybe I would fly to the West Coast and hit a couple of dealers. But, it is sort of foolish to spend $3-5k to then buy a $3k item....unless I can somehow add in some other "must dos" and justify the whole thing. My wifes comment was just buy something higher priced  that ups the odds of being satisfied....i.e. spend the trip money on a new piece in say the $5-6k range. I may just go that way to get this whole thing done. I really just want to be able to enjoy my music not my gear.

Read the review referenced in the thread about the Hegel 120 as well as a few others. Curious about what those who might own this unit or others from Hegel can offer about 1) character of sound (I have read comments about "dark"...not sure what that means?), 2) reliability as owners. I checked in with a friend in AZ and he said he has a dealer near him that sells it. He is going to go in and check it out for me, see how it sounds, etc.

I guess more detail, clarity and separation of instruments, more realistic sound of music.

At your higher budget level you should take a hard look at the Hegel H390 as it will give you what you’re looking for in spades.  Here’s a good review in case it’s helpful…

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1365-hegel-music-systems-h390-integrated-amplifier-dac

Thanks SOIX for all your input. I am going to wait until I go back to the Mainland and check out the HEGEL amps. It means I will end up waiting a bit or will get an interim unit that can later function as a backup in its box in the closet. I was listening to one of my systems last night had the thought of "what would be good separates"....almost forgot that this is driven in part by my wife wanting "less crap" in the living room.....