Upgrade advise: ATI, Bryston, Aragon,

Leehuff: I was in your position awhile ago reading, research, & testing. For the money , which is in your $$$ bracket the Sherbourn 5/1500 which is 5x200 each is 5 separate mono amps in 1 chasis retail is $2000. This amp just totally blew all of them away in Pure Sound & Power. I checked out such amps as ati,bryston,b&k,adcom,parasound,& rotel, & others. When you have delays & hear of problems stay away it should tell you something. I hope this helped you a little bit. Buy the way, yes I did buy the 5/1500 amp for myself. I upgraded all my electronics this year. My speakers are for the next year. Happy hearing & good luck with your choice, it will be your brawn of your system, your brains odviously your processor. Have fun.

As those who have read my comments know, I'm a big fan of Bryston equipment -- very high value gear. In my HT system, I am currently using a Bryston 4B-ST for the main front speakers (Vandersteen 3A Signatures), and a Bryston 5B-ST for the center speaker and rear surrounds. The 5B-ST is essentially a 3-channel version of the 3B-ST amp, offering 3x120 wpc (though rated at 120 wpc, the actual output is about 150 wpc -- Bryston rates their amps very conservatively). I chose the 5B-ST even though it provides about half the power of the 4B-ST, because my rear surround speakers have an efficiency of 91-92 db, and 150 wpc is plenty for them. If you think you need the same amount of power for the center and rears as the front speakers, then you can get Bryston's new 6B-ST, which is a 3-channel version of the 4B-ST (rated at 250 wpc, but actually provides 290-300 wpc). I think the real issue is how much 2-channel audio listening you will do with your system. I enjoy HT, but about 90% of the time I listen to music, and thus my emphasis is on a high quality audio system first.

Thanks for all the help. I cancelled the ATI order, and am looking into Bryston 4b-ST.

Lee