Amp recommendations

Hi,
I’m glad that you were able to find a good local repair shop. The Klipsch would definitely meet the criteria for higher sensitivity and and easier to drive impedance speaker. They seem polarizing in terms of their sound quality. Some love them and some do not. Zu Audio speakers seem to be polarizing in similar fashion. Here are a few to look into.

Tekton Audio Perfect SET a few variations are available.
Omega Audio speakers, most models fall in your price range.
Coherent Audio speakers (Made in Canada).
Decware Audio speakers

Used, some Tannoys and Audio Note models. Also used, certain Coincident speakers if you can find them (Super Eclipse, Total Eclipse )very easy load to drive at 14 ohm and 94 db sensitivity speakers.

These in addition to the Klipsch (And possibly Zu Audio) should all present an easy to drive interface with your Cary 25 watt amplifier .
Charles

@z32kerber, 
What's your budget range for speakers? New and used or just interested in new?
What is the size of your room?
You recently mentioned Klipsch. Do you have actual listening experience with them?
Charles 

1 z32kerber used the Cary amplifier driving the Chapman speakers for 23 years!!! I doubt that he "fried" the Cary amplifier.
2 Agree that the Bryston, Krell or Threshold amplifiers will provide a different sound presentation, better? Maybe or maybe not, but he loved the Cary-Chapman combination. This is a major positive point.
3 I like his idea of getting more sensitive and easier to drive speakers if he were to  make changes.
4 Of course the opportunity to hear different amplifiers is a good step if this is feasible to arrange.
5 On paper the recommended higher power /current solid state amplifiers will certainly drive the Chapmans but this doesn’t mean in actual listening sessions they would sound as good as the 300b push pull Cary. A direct comparison would be great to do. My money would be on the Cary for superior overall sound quality. 
Charles

@z32kerber,
For me what has stood out most over time is the realism/tone of all instruments and human voice. An asset for any music genre of course but ’really’ hits home for jazz in my case. This was a step upward from my el 34 and a 6550/KT 88 based amplifiers. It’s different for everyone as to what works best

. @bobbyheinatz I hear ya, it’s so individual in nature.
Charles

@z32kerber,
Well given that story it does seem quite possibly that the Portland repair tech was overwhelmed with work and not as thorough as he might have been. I do get the sense that there’s a straightforward solution to getting your amplifier fixed. Your stated plan to address this is on the mark.

You’ve had the Cary-Chapman pairing for 23 years of listening enjoyment. During this period did you ever feel as though you were lacking amplifier power or was that concern generated by some of the replies on this thread?

As a number of people here have written there are definitely good options available given your budget range. It could prove to be informative to hear other  amplifier topologies. I believe that your Cary 300b is formidable and not easily surpassed on sonic quality. As you certainly know the 300b can sure reproduce music in a very organic manner.
Charles

@z32kerber,
The 300b is a marvelous output tube in either SET,PSET or push pull mode if well implemented in an amplifier design and build. You’ve been happy with your amplifier and speaker pairing 23 years, that speaks volumes for certain.

After such a long time of satisfaction ("loved the sound") what makes you believe or suspect that you need a higher power amplifier? 25 watts of push pull 300b is not meager IMO. It would be interesting if you’re curious enough to compare to higher power amplifiers using KT 150, KT 88, el 34 , 6550 etc.

You may or may not prefer these indirectly heated Pentode type tubes to your DHT type 300b. Some here have also suggested solid state amplifier alternatives. I’m very partial to 300b and other DHT tubes (Just so beautiful sounding with my beloved jazz in particular 😊). But of course personal taste varies greatly amongst us all. I have no doubt that you’ll get things sorted out one way or the other. BTW what tube type were used  in your 40 watt Cary amplifier? Are you considering 75-100 watt power range?
Best of luck,
Charles

OP ,
I’m not clear on your situation. How long have you had this amp/speaker pairing and what do you think of the sound? It seems that will provide guidance moving forward. How did you end up with this combination?

A, more amplifier power for the Chapman speakers.
B, Keep the 300b amplifier and get better suited speakers.
Push pull tube or solid state amplifiers are going offer a different sonic perspective/presentation from the Cary 300b PSET.

So it’s a question of what type of sound are you seeking?
Charles

@ z32berber,
Iwin raises a good point.
1 How much did you enjoy the Cary driving the Chapman’s?
2 Have you heard any other amplifier paired with this speaker and if yes what did you think compared to the Cary?
3 What do you find are the sonic strengths of the Cary?
4 I’d have a competent technician evaluate the Cary to uncover the underlying problem. It could possibly be relatively simple to repair/correct.
5 People have suggested some good options but you could still find that your Cary 300b is more satisfying and enjoyable to listen to. Ideally it'd be great to compare other types of amplifiers to yours.
Charles