my 2 cents. put most of the $ into the amp and get a moderate PC. IMHO amps don't(should'nt) need the conditioning that one gets w/, say, a viper or king cobra. thats for your front end. what a power amp needs is plenty of juice,i.e. a cord w/ large conductors. something on the cheaper end like the sidewinder or the old cobra. for an amp cord you could get by w/ 2 to $400.- used. so go ahead and get a killer amp. p.s. check ouy the new belles 350.
Amp+Cords or New Amp, best bang for $$$
If I have ONLY $4k to spend on an amp, should I get a less expensive amp and put the rest to Power Cords or should I spend the whole enchilada on an amp. I currently have a BAT VK-500 with BAT PAK and PS Audio Lab Cables but am very curious about the Levinson 333. This isn't necessarily about my specific choices, but rather the wisdom of spending $1k or more on cables prior to upgrading an amp. I sometimes wonder if it isn't a lot like those hopped-up toyotas. Like many of you, I use Audiogon as my listenening room so I'm looking for some feed-back prior to "using my ears" to decide. FYI- Sonic Frontiers T3/P3, BAT Vk5i, Dynaudio Confidence 5, Kimber KCTG ICs and Cardas Golden Cross Speaker Cables.