Looking for some ideas

thanks for the ideas. Local company suggesting Rogue Audio. Possibly Metis/perseus preamp with Atlas Amp both at the magnum level (ie larger power supply). THoughts about Rogue for my first entry into separates

Take a listen to the Cayin/VAS line of tubes, pre and main. Great sound, great value. Same company makes the Primaluna line. If you are a vinyl lover you will like the Citation I pre amp which is based on the HK classic.

There is a VAC 160i up on Audiogon today. It's at $6000 but while I don't have one I have heard one. And it blew me away. At half price and almost new it would most likely be the piece that you were thankful you found for a long long time. If I hadn't just put the room together for a long run preamp to amp I would sell my stuff and grab it.
IMO VAC has the truest, most musical sound out there today.

Chasing after amps may not fix them to where you want.
(((but not sure the Caldera will perform well)))
We had a pair of these traded in the guys exact words were i couldn't listen to my music anymore
The confusion is they are so good looking that you want them to stay, one of our customers who owns them, became like a deer blinded by the lights and purchased over 45,000 dollars in power cords,speaker wires cables and placebo tweaks and still continues to this day to chase his tail hoping for a better outcome.
I gave them a listen with an 8 k amp and concluded the same as did the guys below. One of these days he will figure it out.

folks at ST phile.
Especially considering the Caldera's high price, I was disappointed in its measured performance. Though with some kinds of music the speaker's shelved-up highs will be balanced by its heavy bass, the mid-treble emphasis is hard to hear through, as MF found. The overall poor integration of the drive-units suggests that more work is required to produce a neutrally balanced design.
New samples: As Michael Fremer explained, Audio Physic was
horrified when they received the preprint of the original review.

You could look at an LSA Integrated Hybrid Amp...very nice at around $3000 or so. Also, Primaluna makes a very good Mono block/preamps I would give them a serious look. Cary makes some great tube Integrateds.