Oh, here are some I am considering at the moment:

Yamaha A-S1000 (a few around £500 used, I understand it is near identical in most respects to the A-S1100 apart from you can not bypass the OP amps totally and it uses mosfets).
Yamaha A-S1100
Cambridge Audio 851A (I've had good experience with Cambridge audio DAC's in the past but never had an amp, I have read mixed reviews on the build quality, although the specs look impressive)
Arcam FMJ A38 / A39 (no experience or knowledge)
NAD C388 (ticks a ton of boxes although pushing the budget a little)
NAD C356Bee (second hand plentiful, not sure)
Rotel RA-1570 (Seems nice on paper, some bad reviews by What Hi_Fi and such)

Thanks, out of interest why do you think the nad or yamaha may be a bad choice?

I did a little more reading up to see if I would benefit more from a speaker upgrade, I looked at some higher end KEF’s but their frequency reaponse especially on the low end was more limited although they were more sensitive.

I’m still thinking the amplifier is the weakest link, would you agree?

The cambridge audio does look nice.

From your experience what should the cambridge offer over my current entry level yamaha?

The Yamaha seems to sound good up to a moderate level, but when the speakers demand more the bass starts to pop and if you go a fraction more the entire sound soectrum distorts ( much like if you push a cheap factory car headunit with more powerful components).

Do you think the yamaha is steuggling to prodive the power to keep the low end from letting go? I don’t believe its the speakers since everything turns to a grabled mess right next to the point where the bass starts to let fo and be distorted.

Thanks.

Sorry for typos out atm on phone