Help me spend $3000 on a used amp

A used Pass X150.5 is an option.

There is a Krell FPB-300cx now available on Agon for a bit above your price. I heard this amp when I was looking for an amp, and I can vouch that it is killer.(No relationship to the owner). It will power pretty much any speakers you ever end up with.

I noticed that you mentioned watching movies. Regarding the Pass XA30.5 vs the X150.5, I spoke with Reno Hi-fi about that question, and when Mark found out that my listening does include a lot of movies using my current McCormack DNA-1, he felt I might lose too much dynamics, compared with the class A/B McCormack, if I went with the 30.5. He tended to steer me towards the X150.5.

No, I still have the McCormack but i bought a used Krell FPB 400cx, which arrived today. Have not yet hooked it up. If the Krell does not clearly better the McCormack, the Krell may go back in the market.

Freemand, I wanted to try a really big, powerful amp, for a change, so as to see if it lights a fire under my speakers to any significant effect. Also, my listening actually includes more home theater movies than two channel music, so my top priorities were dynamic attack, uncompressed sound, and authoritative bass.

I was leaning Pass, but the more I read, and spoke with a few people, I came to feel the Krell might be more appropriate. Another factor is that, in order to get as much power in a Pass(X350.5) as I got in the Krell, I would have to spend $2000 or $3000 more.

Also, I was able to audition and compare a Krell FPB300cx against a set of Pass XA100.5 monoblocks in the same system. Now, what I observed was that the Krell was indeed more dynamic, while the Pass did render the music with better soundstaging and authenticity of instruments, as should be the case with the Pass pair retailing for $16,500. But the Krell was no slouch either. So, I decided to try a Krell.