Greetings fellow Klipsch owners, fans,
First time posting, although I am grateful for the education I've received by reading through this site over the past few weeks. I have a total budget of +/- $5k, and appreciate any thoughts/opinions on whether I should be zeroing in on the Forte III with an "average" solid state integrated OR the Heresy III with a "good" tube integrated? Specifically, my research has led me to consider the following options for a 12' x 12' dedicated listening room:
Forte III w/ -
PS Audio Sprout
NAD C 316BEE
Rega Brio
OR
Heresy III w/ -
Quad VA-ONE
Quicksilver Audio Integrated
Icon Audio Stereo 25 mkII
My source material will be digital .AIFF files for the time being (I understand a dedicated DAC will be required if the integrated doesn't have one already built-in). My music interests are fairly vast and include Miles Davis, The Milk Carton Kids, Drive-By Truckers, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Art Pepper, The Band, Wilco, Brad Mehldau, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Traffic/Steve Winwood, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dawes, Gillian Welch, etc.
Despite the relatively small room size I am leaning towards the Forte III, particularly since an amplifier upgrade may be a more convenient and cost effective upgrade path in the future vs. an upgrade from the Heresy to the Forte. At 37 years old, I'd love to settle in on something that will last for many years.
Thoughts? Any glaring fallacies with this line of thinking? Could I be missing something here?
Thanks in advance y'all and cheers!