I use a Quad power amp with a matching pre. Sturdy and reliable. A modern Marantz integrated amp would probably do the same job. As far as sound goes, there is simply little point in spending big money on fancy amps that cost thousands unless you like the look of them. Double blind tests have proven this. The speakers are by far the biggest variable. Jean Marie Reynaud in France make fantastic sounding speakers to my ears.
There are so many snake oil products out there in the Hi-Fi industry. AC power cables that cost thousands, all that money for the last couple of metres the electricity travels through, it's just stupid but some people buy them. What about CD players, you just have to use common sense, it's digital. It either works or it doesn't.
I once met a guy who spent 2,000 euros on speaker cable. He claimed to hear extra clarity, yeah right. By the time you switch the cables over you forget the sound anyway. I guarantee that if someone took away his fancy cables and replaced them with the cheapest cables that function he wouldn't notice any difference. Until he saw them of course. Either that or admit that he fell for the old dealer scam of "you have to spend at least 10% the value of your system on the cables".
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