Amps: Adcom, Earthquake, Sherwood, etc.

[Rolyasm]

I know this is one of those questions that may generate a lot of opinion, and has been tossed around a million times, but here goes. I am in the process of buying speakers. Not sure what kind yet, but my room size is 18x24x9. I want to get my amplifier so when I buy my speakers, I am ready to listen and test. Here are the brands/models I have narrowed it down to. I am undecided as to power, but I have the feeling I want more. The levels of amps are basically either 100, 200 or 300 watts per channel. Not sure if I need that much, opinions welcome. Since the Sherwood and Sherbourn are the cheapest, I will add the extra cost over these models for the rest. Parenthesis are rated 4 ohm power.
.....................................8 Ohm (4ohm) ..........Added Cost:
Sherwood Newcastle:......100w(160) x 7............Same
Sherbourn 1250 A :......125w(175) x 7.............Same
Sherbourn 2100 A : ......200w(300) x 7............+$500
Adcom GFA 7707 : ......200w(300) x 7............+$1100
Earthquake CineNova:....300w(600) x 7 ..........+$1700

The Sherwood is the only model that doesn't have fault protection LEDs. I actually read one review that tested the Sherbourn 1250 at 150w x 7. I know the added headroom is nice and I plan on keeping my amp for a long time. The speakers I am looking at are mostly "brighter speakers". Most SNRs are around 105-110, the Adcom states 125 with THD of .009. The others are around .01. Obviously the Earthquake is the Mac-Daddy. It is the only one that lists a 2 ohm rating, which is 750w. Thanks for any reponse. And please limit your responses to these brands.
Roly

[slayer]

I am an Earthquake & Sherwood dealer. I use the Earthquake in my personal system. I could have gone with Sunfire, Sherwood, ATI, ADA, Parasound, and a couple other brands. I really like the Earthquake and I recommend it highly. They run cool and are very bulletproof. I've never had a problem with any that I have sold. And the extra power you will have will give you more choices on the speaker hunt you are going on. PM me if you have any other questions.

[Snap]

I would have to agree with Slayer about Earthquake they are awesome amps. The main thing is going to be $$$$$$ I personally like to spend as much money as I can on speakers vs other equipment. I personally believe that speakers are the MOST important, MOST noticable item that you can replace in your system. So if you can drop a grand in a good amp, then you will have another 700 to spend to upgrade your speakers. That is my .02 cents on the matter.

[Rolyasm]

Slayer, Have you ever compared the Sherwood to the Earthquake. It is by far the smallest power rated amp, and I just wonder if I wouldn't outgrow it. I probably am looking most at the Earthquake or the 200w/channel Sherbourn. I could get the Sherbourn for almost half the cost of the Earthquake and it has some nice features, like dual power cords. By the way, does the Earthquake have a 12v trigger? I don't see it mentioned anywhere, and I may be putting my amps in the cold storage on a remote sequencer. Also, any thoughts on the fact that the Earthquake uses 1 taroidal transformer while the Sherbourn uses 7? Any benifits/downside to using one or many?
Roly