Hi @tkn42 , I had an Emotiva XPA 2 way back when and I would never call it edgy. Dark is more what I heard. Regardless, I would think the amplification could easily be much better. For 6K I would look at a Coda stereo amp or Audionet Amp mono blocks. You can always add more amps if you need them, but four in a stereo setup is likely overkill. First find the sound you like, then decide if you need more of it. My nirvana started with Audionet Max amps and they blew away everything I had previously had in my home: Emotiva XPA, Classe CA 2200 and 2300, Parasound, and Parasound Halo JC1 +. The Audionet stuff is so fast, resolving, sparkly, full and rich, and non fatiguing. Can't fault any tube amp recommendations, just not my cup of tea. If you like smooth, and want SS, a Moon amp would pair well with your preamp. But they are not as fast or resolving as Audionet, to me.
Looking to upgrade from Emotiva XPA-1 monoblocks
I am currently running 4 XPA-L1s bi-amped into a pair of Legacy Whisper HDs along with a Legacy Wavelet DAC. My main sources are an Emotiva ERC 3 CD transport and a Rega RP 6 turntable through a Moon preamp.
The Wavelet and the Moon pre are recent upgrades and have made a pretty big difference coming from a Yamaha RX-A 1050 receiver!
For the most part the system sounds pretty good. But lately I am starting to feel like the sound is a little edgy (if that makes sense).
I feel like I have exhausted the tools I have at hand, the Wavelet room correction/contouring, room treatments, cable upgrades etc. So, I am thinking new amps would be the likely upgrade to get that little extra out of my system.
Do I stay with a 4 monoblock setup? Could I move up to better stereo amps? Stay with bi-amping? Yada, yada, yada!
Budget wise I would like to stay under $6000.
I have been doing a lot of research, but thought I would throw it out here to get some input as well.
BTW...I will be attending AXPONA next weekend so any recommendations to explore are welcome also.
Sorry for the long post!