suggestions for preamp/amp combos

Wow, nice feedbacks. Many thanks for the efforts. Interesting comment from Nolitan about the tube/Spendor setup being too warm. I have always been interested in going to tube for the inherent "warmth" but the practicality aspect has always been an issue, especially with a family. Anyways, it should be fun trying to get the right sound and doing the research on all the suggestions so far. Best to all.

Good luck,
And remember to listen with YOUR ears.

Efner,

Hmm, maybe I should use some of the money to get my eardrums and neural responses tested and tweaked. Make sure the balance is ok. Srry, bad humour.

I've had excellent results with a conrad-johnson CT5 and a Classe Delta 2200 amplifier. I can't tolerate bright electronics but I also don't want my system to sound sluggish or bloated. Used, this exceeds your budget a bit. The cj 17LS would be a good replacement and get you in under budget 'cause the Classe can be had for about 2800 used. In any case, I strongly recommend the solid state amp/tube preamp combo. Cary would also be another good preamp choice. The Classe is incredibly powerful and "tube-like" and can't be bettered in it's price class. The McCormack DNA 225 or 500 are also good but a bit harder to find used.

I have had the opportunity to listen to the whole range of Spendor Classic line (2/3, 1/2, 3/5, 100) and the 2/3 came out as the brighter. It was the only one of the range I didn't like. It was too bright and distracted my attention from music.

If you don't like 'bright', perhaps you should start by choosing the right speaker, as someone else suggested before in this thread.

Regards,

Chema