Wanting separates but help needed .......

Because of the large area. I added the F113's and that helped tremendously. I thought more power might open up the soundstage. Am I not thinking correctly? I also have that upgrade bug that this hobby is notorious for implementing!

I'll try to shed a little on what I would like different from that of the integrated. The BAT is warm sounding and maybe a little too warm. I'm running Gray Plate CCA's in the front end. The highs are crisp and somewhat grainy. At high volumes the Focals seam to loose their "zeal" from lower listening levels. I hope this helps ........

I'm surprised to hear that the BAT is warm sounding with the Focals. Even though the term warm is subjective, I would be inclined to look elsewhere for that particular issue.

I tend to agree with you that more power (especially in the form of current) will be welcome. I'll leave it for others to recommend solid state alternatives, but I would think that the Bat tube monoblocks, coupled with one of their companion preamps would work well with your speakers. I cant say how they will mesh with the Rhea. Also, keep in mind that you have some high quality components there, the performance of which can be heavily influenced by your choices in ancillary equipment such as isolation devices, racks, power cords, cables, interconnects, etc.

One last thing, don't conclude that separates are an automatic upgrade. There are some very competitive integrateds out there.

Plinius sa102 and M-8

Phaelon, maybe warm isn't the right word. How about bright or shiney ....... I certainly understand cabling can be an issue. I haven't moved much around since my system before this one. I use MIT V3.1's (balanced) with selectable impedance boxes. The PC used is a MIT Magnum AC1. Now I'm wondering if this really is a major issue .........