$1K Power Amps

[Ajani]

So here are my concerns with the 4 choices so far:

Parasound - I see a lot of refurbished units selling on AudioAdvisor, so I worry about reliability - but at least I'll have a local dealer to offset that...

Monarchy - I see a number of reviews talking about ground hum (and possibly noise floor If I'm remembering correctly), so I do have a few concerns there. Also, since I live in Jamaica, I don't need ANY additional heating... So I'm concerned that a Class A amp would be a bad choice in this heat...

Odyssey - about the only issue is that the sound takes a damn long time to break in and maybe a bit on the dark side (which is not normally my musical preference).

Wyred 4 Sound - Seen a few users describe the sound as cold... And even though Cullen Circuits (the designer) has a strong history of making gear for PS Audio, the actual amp I'm considering is relatively untested... While the other 3 options all have countless user and pro reviews...

I think I've narrowed the list down to just the Parasound, Odyssey and Monarchy... Unless there are any other great options that I've missed...

Of those 3:

The Parasound looks like a work of art and has balanced inputs (though not a truly balanced design) and has a high Class A bias.

The Odyssey easily has the best user reputation (I include the Stratos rep in that, as they are essentially the same amp), though the lack of balanced inputs is slightly disappointing as My Benchmark sounds best through its balanced outputs...

The Monarchy is a truly balanced design and due to its compact dimensions would look more like a visual match to my Benchmark.