Hi Bill,

I understand what the service centers are saying, however, the very same can be said about other brands as well. A couple of potentiometers went out on the KP200S when I had it, no fault of mine, they just broke (cheap parts maybe? I don't know). Anyway, I had a heck of a time taking the thing apart to replace those two pots. And I repaired a friends KC350 a while ago because one of the RCA input jacks was intermittent. Not exactly a robust design inside.

One has to wonder why service people don't like certain brands. Could one possible reason be that a given brand doesn't present the potential profit in repairs as much as other brands? Just a thought.

As for the 180 watts output powered mixer; that is peak power at 4 ohms as per the spec sheet. I agree that it is stretching the truth a bit by using peak power as the advertised power output rating. But I can think of many companies that do similar things with their specs by fudging this or that. That being said, I don't really care or pay attention to power ratings. The 40 watt power amp in my Leslie 122 will slice your head off if asked. Point being, power amp output rating is only part of the equation. Just as important is the design of that power amp, as well as the design of the speaker(s) and the cabinet they are housed in. So I would rather just rely on my ears as to how a particular amp/speaker combination sounds as opposed to being inappropriately swayed by fudged specs.

So, back to the OP's question, I don't think there is a best combo amp for anything. It all depends on what features fill your particular needs. For me the K1800FX works just fine. And I'll stand behind my suggestion to take a close look at the K3000FX in comparison to the KC550.

Dave

P.S. I always wear a belt, but I should take after you and start with suspenders as well.