Ideas for Pre/Power $9000?

@immatthewj driven by an Anthem STR integrated. Overall crisp bright sound with lots of top end.

@lfromsalem  , my next upgrade (if it ever happens) will be speakers, so I am always kind of interested in the impressions that others are getting from their speaker auditioning experiences.  Do you think that the reason you were less than impressed with the B&Ws was that they did ot perform well with Metal?  Or was this just an overall impression (if this question makes any sense)?

@immatthewj I'd say that it may have been a case of "too much of a good thing". Anthem brought a bright, snappy sound. Same with the B&W. I tired a few different songs. Not just metal. So I don't believe it was a genre issue. 

+1 on Echo Audio and Stereotypes based on your budget 

You can find some fantastic deals on high quality used equipment at Echo. And the owner is a super cool guy. Stereotypes is also good. They sell good stuff at modest prices. Nice guys too. 
 

Pearl is on the more expensive side. And one component could easily eat your ip up your entire budget. 
 

Btw - I just looked at the Echo website. There are a couple of McIntosh SS amps that just came in priced around $3500. Newer models. For metal, I think they’d be great. 

You could pick up some used speakers for under $3000 and still have a third of your budget for a DAC, streamer or upgraded cables.