Doozy of an amp question

There's no way of knowing in advance how two components will align with each other. Actually, three components, the speakers, power amp, and preamp. I'm not an ARC guy, but I agree with jperry's comments that ARC is the safe choice. Anything else, the results could be anything, and odds for a mismatch are good.

If you’re spending that kind of moola I would strongly consider taking a trip to where XYZ gear is sold, or visiting an audiophile who would be willing to host for an hour or two. If you fly, give yourself at least a day or two to recover your hearing.

I would not trust the review of any audiophile, no matter how famous they are, whether they write for a well established magazine, webzine, or make Youtube videos. I have met very few people whose tastes are similar to mine. Listening for yourself is essential.

But ... if you are not familiar with the sonics of different families of amplifiers ... Class AB transistor, Class A transistor, push-pull pentode, push-pull direct-heated triode, single-ended direct-heated triode (SET), Class D MOSFET, and Class D GanFET, you need to get familiar with the sonics and how well they match with your favorite type of speaker.

The name brand is not important, at all, compared to the amplifier class and how well it is designed. It’s like a good dinner at a quality restaurant: you need good ingredients (parts quality), a good recipe (the circuit design), and a chef with good taste (the actual designer, not the manufacturer). If you like a fantastic steak, don’t go to a vegetarian restaurant, and vice versa.