Contemplating other amps

If what you said here is true, "I like to play it loud and listen more for clean delivery, soundstage and headroom than details and nuance", you've given up on the amp that was best suited for your needs. That is, the Sunfire Signature series.

Out of all of the amps that i've owned ( i currently have 20+ at this point in time ), the Sunfire's play the loudest with the least amount of "strain" or compression. I don't think that they are as refined or detailed as some other amps, but in terms of being able to deliver power on a dynamic basis, they are QUITE capable of doing so. The fact that they can do that AND present the information in a pleasant manner is even more of a bonus if high spl's are a concern. Many high powered amps will play loud, but they sound "grainy" and cause listening fatigue when doing so.

As far as Pass amps go, they typically produce excellent sonics but are not of the "brute force" variety ( in my opinion ). Bryston's are good utilitarian amps, are quite rugged and reliable but i don't think that they are well suited to driving speakers with reactive loads or impedances that drop down low.

Between the Pass and the Bryston keeping your above comments in mind, i would think that a big Bryston would work out better for you than the Pass would. Sean
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Stick with the Bryston. If you buy them right and are not truly happy with the results, you could always sell them for close to what you paid.

Sean's comments on the differences between the amps rings pretty true in my experience. Being in NZ I would be looking at the Plinius Odeon or Plinius SB300. The SB300 is a fabulous buy. It has a little more going on than the Sunfire manages. I would lean towards the Sunfire if I needed something that was both very smooth and could drive difficult speakers to loud levels. But the SB300 offers a window that is wider open. Damn close to the SA250 at a lower price and in a smaller box (just no Class A). The Odeon is ideal for multi-channel but won't give you the raw power of the SB300.

Arthur, we have discusssed a ton of amps so far. From the replies I have read, I am quite confident in the level and accuracy of information my fellow A'goners are providing.

I am curious which amps you have listened to? Instore even. I much prefer home evaluations, but nontheless an instore listening session can go a long way.

As typical I agree with Sean. With your criteria not being so demanding of the details/nuances as it is the volume. I think Sunfire and Bryston are excellent choices. Since your budget has shrunk considerably, you might consider other options as well. You mentioned Aragon in this post as well as Adcom in a previous post. Both are on sale currently at Audioadvisor.com. I apologize for possibly leading you the wrong way with my "truckload of Adcoms" statement in a previous post. I was unaware of your budget change.

Audioadvisor has a big Adcom 5 channel x 300 watts for around $2200.00 I think, and a 7 x 300 for around $2500.00. They have Aragon on a 50% off sale. I have bought a few products from them and was nothing but pleased.