I've actually got a ton of experience with all generations of Emotiva amps. I'm not pushing emotive. It can be a great platform to modify/upgrade, but the stock amps can be bright. The Gen 3 is not recommended because of switching power supply.
That being said, those smaller 1L monoblocks do have some drawbacks. They are indeed just a little weak on bass because they use a smaller 450VA transformer. If you want bass, you want to look for an amp that has a big transformer and big power supply.
As far as the highs being rolled off, I bet your running this amp in "Class A" mode. That mode helps reduce some of the bright/harsh stock sound, but it also softens the high frequency response. It's a drawback on this particular amp.
Klaus over at Odyssey audio uses really small transformers in his amps (even the Kismet monoblock). They are small 400VA transformers. For upgrade, he just stacks them. 800VA is still not a lot. So if you want big powerful full bass, I would not choose an Odyssey amp.
I wouldn't go for a pair of Vidar's either. While you can bridge them to make a monoblock, they really don't do well at the lower impedances. Actually, you should never really buy a stereo amp to bridge/monoblock them. They aren't designed for that purpose. I don't think the Vidar's are actually powerhouses either.
You could look at an ATI amplifier AT4002 amp. They are true fully balanced amp designs. For the AT4002 stereo 2 channel amp, each amp board has it's own transformer, so it's a true dual-mono (essentially two true monoblocks built into the same case). I don't know how they will do on bass. The transformers look larger than the 1L transformers, but I can't tell. The retail for AT4002 is $2695.
The step up is the ATI AT6002. These have much larger 900VA transformers (still not huge, but much better than what you have been using). It's a more powerfully 300 watts, but it's likely out of your budget at $3595 retail.
The Van Alstine monoblocks might work, but they are getting expensive and I don't know their transformer size. You might reach out to them and ask.
That being said, those smaller 1L monoblocks do have some drawbacks. They are indeed just a little weak on bass because they use a smaller 450VA transformer. If you want bass, you want to look for an amp that has a big transformer and big power supply.
As far as the highs being rolled off, I bet your running this amp in "Class A" mode. That mode helps reduce some of the bright/harsh stock sound, but it also softens the high frequency response. It's a drawback on this particular amp.
Klaus over at Odyssey audio uses really small transformers in his amps (even the Kismet monoblock). They are small 400VA transformers. For upgrade, he just stacks them. 800VA is still not a lot. So if you want big powerful full bass, I would not choose an Odyssey amp.
I wouldn't go for a pair of Vidar's either. While you can bridge them to make a monoblock, they really don't do well at the lower impedances. Actually, you should never really buy a stereo amp to bridge/monoblock them. They aren't designed for that purpose. I don't think the Vidar's are actually powerhouses either.
You could look at an ATI amplifier AT4002 amp. They are true fully balanced amp designs. For the AT4002 stereo 2 channel amp, each amp board has it's own transformer, so it's a true dual-mono (essentially two true monoblocks built into the same case). I don't know how they will do on bass. The transformers look larger than the 1L transformers, but I can't tell. The retail for AT4002 is $2695.
The step up is the ATI AT6002. These have much larger 900VA transformers (still not huge, but much better than what you have been using). It's a more powerfully 300 watts, but it's likely out of your budget at $3595 retail.
The Van Alstine monoblocks might work, but they are getting expensive and I don't know their transformer size. You might reach out to them and ask.