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:help:

I have refered to the good/bad/ugly list to get me started, but I need a little further guidence. I would prefer two amps from the same company, but not necessary. Ballpark for budget would be around $2k... fairly flexible, and I figure I can do very well within that range...
I would like a 2 ch amp around 100-200 rms and a sub amp around 700-1000 rms at 4ohms

I have been looking at arc, TRU, McIntosh, US amps, zapco, and brax... I would like a couple of awesome amps and think this list is a good start to focus on, any opinions would be greatly appreciated, or experiences with the different companies. I am leaning towards TRU's 2.200 and the H-1, but have gotten some mixed feedback including some magic "pixie dust" that places them up top... any comments?

the 2k price would be for the amps...

TRU! *drools* Great amps. Period. McIntosh is just too expensive IMO. Brax is about what TRU is, Brax is a sister company of Helix.

TRU is awesome stuff, one the the most advanced amp companies around these days. do you mean you can spend $2k for just the amps, or the whole system? because if you can spend 2k, then Tru would be right in your price range and worth every dollar. zapco is up there too.

jszar, have you had any experience with tru? I noticed you are running arc's, how are those working out for you, would you want to switch them for anything else down the line?

anyone else... thoughts/ opinions...

Tru makes excellent amplifiers.
I know another industry professional who knows the head engineer for Tru. great folks. I think you'd be very pleased with any of their products. If you want something else, you could go Zapco or Brax, but Tru is a great choice.

what would be advantages to going with Zapco or Brax or Tru that would cause me to pick one over the other, or am I to assume that these companies are basically identical and its a coin toss to decide between them...

personal preferences.
aesthetics, power supply design, output wattages that meet your needs, desired footprint, things like that. performance wise, any are a good choice.
Zapco does offer their symbilink signal path if you want balanced lines with matched components for signal processing. http://www.zapco.com

The problem with leaving it up to personnal preference, is that I know nothing about the power supply design, or things of that nature... and need some guidance beyond the g/b/u list. All I know to look for are output rms and aestetics.

Anyone have a price list for Brax?

Tube amp? do I want one for my front components, does it make a difference? Reliability issues?

the FAQ area covers vacuum tube vs SSA.
read the amplifier fundamentals thread.. part I if I recall. it's just after the power supply section.
personally I prefer SSA to tubes