Not sure where you landed on feelings on used equipment, but you can usually find an SPL Phonitor X or XE in the $1300-1800 range. Folks on this forum seem to largely consider it to be one of the most neutral and capable solid state amps (period - at any price point). I don’t have extensive experience with it, but the limited times I’ve heard it, I’ve been a huge fan. Here’s a review: SPL Phonitor x - Review
Also, it just looks so friggin cool with those VU meters 
Well then, I had no clue you could find it that cheap! I will keep my eye out for deals as they come. I have no issues with used gear whatsoever, especially for non-headphones. I love the meters. What exactly is the difference between the X and XE?
I see them come up about once every ~6 weeks between here, head-fi classifieds, and US Audio Mart. You can always also check hifishark, which is an aggregator of sorts. I generally stick to the three forums I named, because the gear is typically sold by more “known” people in that they have trading histories within that community. The only difference between the X and XE is that the X can be used as a preamp, and the XE is headphones only. No other difference. You can get an optional DAC module in both versions, but no point, since your BF2 is way better.
Ah I see. I will be sure to keep my eyes peeled! Thanks! 
I can personally speak for the 6xx w/ soloist pairing and they have fantastic synergy. I don’t have the Arya but I find that all my headphones work well with the soloist (6xx, clear, aeolus, VC, nightowl, sundara). I was in the same position wanting to upgrade from 789 and the soloist didn’t disappoint. Plus it’s a looker of an amp!
It really has been calling my name ever since you mentioned it on the last thread. Do you find the soloist to be colored in any particular way? There is such little information on it online compared to many of the other amps just north of its price range. Its an interesting portion of the market that it captures at $1100; I wonder why it isn’t more popular?!
No, no coloration whatsoever. Very transparent and not fatiguing at all (unlike 789). Though I never found the 789 to be fatiguing, I only noticed it when I got the soloist in.
Exactly! The price it sits at is perfect imo. I did get it at pre-order price but wouldn’t hesitate to buy it at full retail. The only thing around this price that isn’t a tube amp is the spl phonitor se which I have no experience with. But the soloist looks better aesthetically imo, you can change op-amps if you’d like, and it has balanced connections. Balanced doesn’t make it sound better but I like the actual connection over single-ended (kind of weird I know).
You can also read reviews on the Conductor 3, which is an all-in-one that has pretty much the same amp section as the Soloist, according to Burson.
This was the best review that I found on the Soloist when I was doing my own research, and it (combined with @hifiDJ’s enthusiasm) led me to buy the Soloist myself:
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm! I when the time is right I think I’ll snatch a soloist for myself. I’m just sold honestly. This is some seriously untapped value if others impressions hold true, which I don’t doubt they do!
I have a Lyr 3 and just ordered Atticus. How did you like that combination? I like acoustic music with nice vocals, some jazz and blues and more mello rock.
Atticus will be totally fine on the Lyr 3. For vocals maybe consider suede ori pads.
Would the Lyr 3 also be a good pairing with the Aeolus, especially for someone who likes his music fun, musical and lush, rather than neutral and analytical? Recommendations I’ve received for the Aeolus include the Lyr 3, Felix Echo and ZDT Junior. Any suggestions?
I used a Lyr 3 with my Utopias until I replaced it a few months ago with this…
It’s a little less than $1200, beautifully handcrafted in the US, simple as it can be; the only controls are the silky-smooth volume knob and the on-off switch; and it can power just about anything really well. Sound-wise, it’s in a different league altogether from the Lyr 3 - good vs blew-me-away awesome. I’m guessing that those amps from Feliks, ZDT, Ampsandsound, and others like that would give you at least as good performance as mine (I’ve not heard any of the others).
Atticus leans into what you’re looking for way more than Aeolus. Completely different tuning. Echo is suitable for people wanting a holographic mid range and silky top end. While it is fairly dynamic, I don’t think bass heads would be satisfied. Some comment on the Bottlehead Crack being pretty lush. @TylersEclectic may be able to help. For slam you probably want a Jot 2 over Lyr 3. Do you have a budget? If you don’t want to spend much I think the CTH was pretty good. Best of luck finding something that suits your preferences.
@SleepyRhythms: thanks so much for your response. After reading it I did some research and you are absolutely right that the Atticus seems to have that lush, sweet, musical quality that I’m looking for. However, little in life turns out to be that simple - I have a mild case of tinnitus, and for that reason I avoid closed back headphones so as to not risk it getting worse. Consequently I was thinking about the Aeolus as I would like to try ZMF headphones. Do you think the Aeolus comes close to what I’m looking for, or could you recommend other headphones that have those qualities? I would spend up to $1000-$1500 as I would hope it might be my endgame headphones. My musical preference runs primarily to vocals and ballads, opera and folk music, and not so much to rock or other music best played loud. I currently own the Ananda, the Ibasso SR2 and the Grado RS 2e. I’ve also considered the Schiit Lyr3 as it repeatedly pairs well with planars. Again, thanks, and any further advice on headphones/tube amplifiers would be appreciated.
Hi!
I have an Ananda and an Aeolus, and the Aeolus is definitely a warmer presentation.I prefer the Aeolus to the Ananda for symphonies, as the horns are often recorded hot and that can get rough with the top end of the ananda. Folk I would probably also tend to prefer on the Aeolus.
Honestly, I do miss some detail retrieval and staging when switching from the Ananda to the Aeolus, but once I’ve settled in for a song or two, my brain adjusts and I just enjoy the music. When switching back the increased treble response can be a bit of a wake up call.
The sub bass is better on the ananda as well, but acoustic, double bass and typamni work just fine on the Aeolus.
Thanks. I ordered with the suede ori pads!
Thanks for your response. In light of what you said, do you think that the Aeolus a sufficient upgrade from the Ananda?
Two different headphones but every Zac’s headphone to my ears is an upgrade. You’ll have a different sound signature with the Aeolus in comparison to the Ananda but you can easily tune the Aeolus swapping pads.
100% depends on what you listen to and your sound preference.
So. Yes? But maybe no.
Lots of people see the word warmer and equate it to better. And for people that prefer a sound signature that is warmer it’s true. But lots of us prefer neutral, resolving, detailed, fast, or lots of other adjectives that aren’t as nice of a word as “warm” is.
For me, Aeolus on tubes is like a great stew. Total comfort food, held together with gravy.
In this analogy, the ananda is a steak dinner with all the same ingredients, but cooked separately and put on a plate. Perfect potato, perfect steak, perfect carrots.
Some people want the stew, some people take the plate. Ain’t no “righter” there, just preference.