Power amplifier advice?

Here's a happy owner of a ROTEL 1582 MKII. It's an excellent amplifier, but I think, like everyone else, that for that budget you'd be better off buying a pair of speakers for US$1500 and an amplifier for $1000.

If you decide to keep the speakers, buy the ROTEL, replace the 6 internal fuses, the bidding posts, and the plastic feet on the base with anti-vibration ones, and I assure you, you'll be blown away by the sound. I think that given its quality, you can buy it used; you'll save money, and it's very unlikely to have any problems. It's a tank of an amplifier.

Definitely concur with those posters who recommend the Schiit Wotan. It's a lot of power amp for the money 👍

Another two cents from the peanut gallery:

Twenty five hundred is a very tight budget for a quality true 200-watt into 8 Ohm amp (even used); tighter still for an amp/pre-amp combo.  Your goal would be more achievable sticking with a quality integrated power source.

Those are nice speakers.  However, they are a 6 Ohm nominal load design.  With your present amp, which is very nice, by the way, and bench tests closer to 97 watts into 8 Ohms, you'd get the oomph you're after with quality 8 Ohm nominal design speakers.

Regardless of what you upgrade first, if your aim is to invest in a quality 200-watt power source, investing in one that has a great power supply (i.e.  current; not watts), one that doubles its watt output from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms is what I would look for.  This will provide greater speaker upgrade flexibility in the future.

If the upgrade bug has you and that twenty five hundred is burning a hole in your pocket, I have to agree with the speakers first crowd.  That twenty five hundred on quality 8 Ohm nominal load speakers would get you more bang for your greenbacks and the oomph you're after.  If you decide to go that way, I would recommend auditioning stuff like:  Revel; Monitor Audio; Focal, JBL, just to name a few.

Good Luck!

Hello @kaj.  This is what I experienced with my NHT 2.5i’s when I had them.  Tried the Parasound A21 (not the + version) and it was complete overkill.  More suitable for the NHTs was the Acurus A150 at 150WPC.  Im sure you can find a great deal on it somewhere if your heart is set on keeping the NHTs.   And yes, those things play loud as hell!!!  Good luck on your search! 

I always recommend trying multiple amplifiers with the speakers to find the best match for YOU.  I went through 9 amplifiers before I settled on a used Pass Labs Xa30.8.  It is insanely good.  In your price range I really like Primare gear.  I have an odyssey kismet but the thing is too noisy.  On first boot up it buzzes and then only gets a little better after running in.  As soon as I play music the buzzing starts again albeit at a lower volume.  Tried to troubleshoot with Klaus and just never was satisfied.  But for the quality of sound I had to go up to Pass Labs to handily beat the sound of the kismet.  But that noise was too much for me