Well, I'm not saying the Rotel is edgy. In fact it's softer than most Japanese brands, but they are known for having a thin upper mid-lower treble range- a characteristic that is noticeable with my RSX-1055, but not terrible since the B&W's already have a bloomy midrange. Not to mention, they are just adequate at low level listening- which is a no-go for me. The Jolida makes fantastically musical background- say under 40dB. I'm just concerned as to how much the tube pre will compensate for the power amp's inherent drawbacks (recessed mids, low level detail/dynamics) if I were to go this route . I would be moving from a very sweet, balanced setup. Trading sweetness and presence for authoritative punch. After all, I still really like the Jolida, but want to find a good balance of authority and presence. And until I find the right combination of separates, I'll take a more polite, lifelike sound over a more exciting- yet withdrawn musicality.

The Audience line is one of the easier speakers to drive. Though the sentivities are relately the same across the dynaudio board (typically 85-87), the 42's are a remarkably easier drive than say Contour 1.1's. I read that, by virtue of whatever highly technical design feature that escapes my recollection, the Audiences are more compatible with tube amplifiers than their new Excite series. I must say, I'd really rather not go to another speaker. Unless I can find a speaker with similar neutral tonal balance and natural presentation, smooth detail, I'd rather not move to just any speaker with a higher sensitivity to avoid losing that sense of body and fullness that you get with less sensitive speakers.

I use MIT Terminator 4 speaker cables in both systems, and a hodgepodge of interconnects. MIT AVT1s, Wireworld Oasis, Cardas Crosslink.

The 4's, I find, are very creamy in the mids, extremely detailed mids and highs, with some of the most expansive soundstaging I've heard for budget cables, great imaging. The bass tends toward fat, but is still well controlled and quick with the Dyns. Not displeasing though.

Question- anyone have any experience with Aragon amps? I keep finding 2004 and 4004 models for under $400 and $600 locally.