First, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have someone on the forum older than I (61)!
OK! All you guys may now direct the "old guy" jokes toward arkiedan (Dan in Arkansas?).
Tom, when he says "I like my music at or slightly above live levels." we don't know if he means "live" as if the players were in his living room, or "live" as in what comes out of a professional sound reinforcement system at a live concert. I like my Diana Krall at a volume approximate to what she and her piano would sound like in my living room, not how loud she'd sound coming out of a sound reinforcement system, which I suspect would be considerably louder.
Actually, I agree with Alan's suggestions completely. I know your ARs did a great job with bass, but an EP500 will open new horizons for you. And, if you properly calibrate your system, you needn't be concerned about experiencing the bloated bass found in your friends' systems. Due to the DSP processing, the 400, 500, and 600 are very articulate, and responsive, with a respectively flat response. I think you'd be very happy with a 500.
However, if you'd like to avoid buyer's remorse, you could always substitute 80s and a 600.
