Cant help but wonder why amps from Adcom and Rotel are getting no love. Is there something I should know?
Adcom amps are fine, but they completely changed the model for distribution and sales. If you look at their website, they charge approximately the same as the mainstream Parasound products yet only have a handful of USA dealers. One can buy direct from Adcom, which might be great, but they just aren't in our face like they were back when our generation was shopping for separates. They are nowhere near the size they once were. I am sure they are fine products and would never tell anyone not to get one for any reason other than I don't know them as well as other brands.
Rotel got a bit proud of their amps and started charging quite a bit more for similar performance from other brands. I also remember a string of bad experiences which took place when B&W and Rotel were sold as "matched solutions" by their dealers where amps were failing, and in a few cases damaging the speakers they were connected to. Between the higher price, the year (or so) of terrible quality problems, then the blind arrogance which too many naïve audiophiles declared them the only amp one should ever use with a B&W speaker no matter what, rational people lost interest in them. They are still perfectly fine amps with all the same caveats I have for Adcom.
Really, there are lots of good options, but I think we all tend to pick a couple of brands we really like and trust based on our own experiences and tend to repeat those recommendations. B&K is a good example, for awhile they were the best deal out there for separates, but then their low quality parts and reliability issues killed them in this hobby.
So, if you can get a good deal on Adcom or Rotel or Anthem or Yamaha or Marantz or Onkyo or Parasound or Bryston or Monolith or any of the high quality, reliable, good performing, amps out there, then go for it.
If you ask me, I still recommend what I know best - Parasound, Monolith, and Marantz.