Thank you for all of your kind advice and information. Through a near miraculous series of circumstances I was allowed to listen to some speakers, which included Sonus Faber, Paradigm, Van Alstine and Klipsch. The Sonus Faber Sonetto VIIIs were far and away the best of the bunch. They arrived last Tuesday. And they sound just fine with my Prima Luna Dialogue One amp despite its low power rating. I may test drive a Rogue Cronus Magnum III or Raven Blackhawk, But if there isn't an appreciable improvement in sound I may just keep my trusty old amp.
The $10,000 Question
I've upgraded my upstream components, and am in the hunt for a new amp and speakers. There is a dizzying array of choices, and one could go bankrupt with the buy-try-return method. I'm looking for some guidance on amp-speaker combinations, either used or new, in the $10,000 range for both. If I can narrow the search down to two or three amp/speaker choices it would make the buy-try-return plan much more reasonable.
I prefer tubes and space is limited to an integrated amp. My room is 15'x15', and and I primarily listen to classical music at modest volumes (which would allow conversation if my wife yells at me to turn it down). I'm replacing 20+ year old Forest Totems and a Prima Luna Dialogue One amp. My upstream components are a Cambridge CD transport with a Jolida Glass FX III DAC, and a refurbished Sota Star with a Jolida JD-9 phone stage.
Thanks in advance for your insight and guidance.
John Cotner
New Ulm, MN