what amp under a grand?

speakers are 90 dbw sens @ 4ohm, listening taste ranges from tool,slipknot,lamb of god, to nat king cole, seal.i pretty much listen to all music except for hip hop. room size i 15 by 19.

Well, if you hadn't mentioned the first three bands, I would say go for the 25i, its 25 watts double into 4 ohms. However, you always could go with Funjoe's higher output amps. His 50 watt amps double into 4 ohms, so 100 watts would've been enough for you. Your specs are slightly better than my own. I listen to mostly classical and jazz, but I haven't tried my Rage Against The Machine and Tool albums on it yet. Now I'm curious......

Well here is the deal, I can get a parasound a21 brand new with warranty for a great deal and the same with the a23. but with a good deal on the a21 its still very expensive 2k. and the a23 i can get for around $800 new. the only diff i see between the amps are power output and peak. andi would think the a23 being a john curl design along with the p5 pre would blow away my 2100 and 2250 combo.

Has anyone owned either of these amps? if so besides the obvious (a21 has more power) what is the diff between the two?

First, let me say that I have no experience with any of the equipment you have inquired about. However, I do have an opinion, and don't we all!

Based on what I've read over the years, it is common for audiophiles to refer to the silk tweeters as sounding dark or warm. Conversely, many will refer to the metal tweeters as being bright or harsh. Given that your speakers have the silk tweeter, you may want to experiment with a few different amps.

IMO, I would go after the Bryston 3B-ST that is listed here on the 'Gon. The Classe CA-101 might be another option. I have a Coda Model 10 that I might be persuaded to sell if you wanted to give that a try.