First foray into separate 2-channel amp, 200wpc

The tightest amp for bass I've had in my system was a Bryston 2BSST. If bass control is what you're looking for this might be a brand worth exploring. They won't mellow out or make anything seem warm and fuzzy, but they sure get an iron fist control over woofers in my experience. There's a 3BST on sale here for a little more than your looking for, but ain't that always the way?

Also, you may experiment with different interconnects and speaker cables that could tighten things up as well. I once had the Zu Cable Julian speaker cables in my system, and they also damped and tightened up the bass considerably. Just another avenue to consider.

Oh, and last but certainly not least and also the least expensive option, have you experimented with speaker placement yet? The further out you get the speakers from the corners and away from the front and side walls will tend to make bass less boomy. Even if you don't plan to keep the speakers out that far into the room, it's instructive just to play around with it to see what happens.

Best of luck.

Soix, thanks for the tips. Yeah, I just saw some of those Brystons on Agon. With the 3BST not being rated particularly high in watts, I wasn't sure about how much improvement it might make. Sounds like you are saying even those Bryston amps that are rated lower than 200 wpc can deliver powerful response. Will take another look at 3BST if the Agon classifieds start working again.

Regarding cables, I am researching that now as well.

Regarding room placement, the Monitor 9is have to be out 2 feet from the wall because they sit on the left and right sides of a desk that is about 2 feet deep. I don't have a whole lot of leeway in where they can sit. I know they would have more bass if they were 8 inches from the wall, but besides the fact that they cannot be there, I am looking more for quality than quantity of bass.

Again, don't get caught up in the watts game. I've had amps that were rated 100 watts & less that were better sonically than bigger pieces. Unfortunately, they are not in your budget, however, they are not out of reach either.

My suggestion is to go to the search feature on the home page and search by price range in the amp category. You can stick to your budget & get a good idea of what's out there. Of course, it may take a few tries to get it right but I don't think you can go wrong if you do your homework.

As for house sounds, the B&K is on the warm side of neutral. The older Adcom's are not as refined & tend to be somewhat grainy. I haven't heard any newer Adcom stuff in a long time so will withhold comment on these. The Bryston ST series does have excellent bass control but is more on the analytical side.

That's it in a nutshell.

"The pre amp section of your receiver will just be a switch box and volume control, unless you listen to LPs."

It's quite obvious you haven't heard what preamps do (or better yet don't do) in a system.

They're more than a switchbox and volume control. The most under-rated component IMO. They can have just as much influence on the final sound as an amp, in my experience.

'They can have just as much influence on the final sound as an amp, in my experience.'

Save the phono amp, enlightened me as to how.
BTW, your statement is absolutely correct. Your point is just wrong.