Sir Terrence the Terrible, to go against what you said the Pass Labs is considered a pro audio amp and is one the greatest amps on the market. I would also put the crown k2 against most audiophile amps along with the reference 1 and reference 2. you would be suprised at the quality. another thing is most new pro amps come THX certified too. just go to www.crownaudio.com and look at the spec sheets. they are impressive, and go to an audio shop who sells crown and take a listen to them or see if you can get them for audition. even check the specs on their d series amps and i tech amps. all have been reviewed by both professional and home magazines and all have rated them extremely high