Best Match for Dynaudio Contour S3.4?

You shouldnt have to pay more than $2500 for a dead mint one with low hours..I wouldnt spend more than say 2200 and Ive seen them as low as 1800.I would buy from private owner and not a store.Make sure you get the serial number and call Pass in CA and see what service its had and how old it is(remaining warranty),Pass has super great service,as long as the amp is less than 3 years old it is covered under warranty reguardless of how many owners its had or who you bought it from

Excellent. I will keep an eye out, MC. Speaking of Pass, there is a Threshold T-400 for sale. Thoughts on this? Reviews are excellent

IMO,Too old and not on par with the new X series pass amps

MC, I know your feeling on mods (haha)... but... this amp was just upgraded by John Soderberg, who is a known guy (worked at Threshold for like 15 years and now does upgrades to Threshold amps). So it got a full overhaul - the full "go nuts" treatment - for $1200 less than two years ago. And it will cost me $500 less than an X150.5 - if I can even find one! And it is Class A (not A/B)

But it weighs 100 lbs and needs its own stand (which the seller will throw in at no cost). And I can pick it up semi-locally. And the guy said he'd take it back in a month if I didn't love it... So I am considering it for all of these reasons.

But I feel like I should just shut up already and make a decision. It's just that I am VERY bummed out that the ARC 100.2 did not do the trick for me. That really pisses me off because I thought I was done finally. So I don't want to go through another round of this...

Well Grant, for $2500 shipped I can be the proud owner of an ARC SD135 which is only two years old, and apparently kicks the pants off the 100.2. Or for the same money, I can wait for another X150.5 to come up. Also, Dan from Reno Hifi told me there is very little sonic difference (based on the listening experiences of his customers and himself apparently) between the X150.5 and the X250 (older model 250). It is fairly easy to pick up a used X250, so I wondered what your (or anyone who doesn't have a used X250 to sell me's) thoughts on this might be.

As usual Grant, you make very good points... Now if you could just find me a used X150.5 I could shut up already and give my fingers (and brain) a rest!

IMO I would wait for the right deal on a X150.5..there is a reason why "It is fairly easy to pick up a used X250"

So who the hell carries Pass? All I ever see is Reno Hi-Fi and some weird statement on Pass' website about making mistakes. I haven't been there recently but this is what I found a few months ago.

UPDATE: So... after receiving my Peachtree Nova back from service two weeks ago, I am happy to report the following;

1) On the advice of Johnny Rutan and Wally from Underwoord Hifi, I attached a cheater plug on the end of the power cord of the ARC 100.2 in an effort to squash the annoying buzz/hum that has been plaguing my system since the amp's arrival. And....SUCCESS!! Dead nuts quiet. Cost: $5.99 from Radio Shack.

2) I purchased a pair of higher quality interconnects from Paul and Judy Speltz at AntiCables with the Eichmann bullet plugs (all copper), and boy what a difference. But still, my system was still hovering in the "average" zone, albeit the high end of that zone. Cost: $150

3) Finally, I purchased a French-made Phillips 6922 tube from Brent Jesse per Brent's recommendation to replace the stock tube in the Nova, and - I TRULY can't believe this -... I don't know how else to say this.... but HOLY F--KING SH-T!!! Suddenly, the bottom end and mid-bottom range opened up, deepened, sharpened - I could hear the subleties of every note coming from every bass instrument on every recording I played, The soundstage expanded to fill the room, the dynamics were explosive, the texture of strings, harmonies and voices floated through the air and resolved naturally into space. It felt at times like the entire band was playing in my room, and at other times, like just a single performer was singing or playing from like seven feet away, five feet off the ground and maybe three feet left of center. It was eerie! It was AWESOME!! Thank you Brent!!! (Of course I am neither affiliated with or related to Mr. Jesse in any way, haha!!) Total cost: $110.

I would say to every Nova or Decoo2 owner out there, (so much for pleasantries) you are an IDIOT if you don't swap out the tube in the Nova with this one! For an extra $100 it is like I now have a high end tube preamp that is allowing the rest of my system to shine through. For the time being, it appears my worries and frustrations are over. Thank the Lord - and thank ALL of you for your kind, thoughtful and helpful suggestions in my quest for audio nirvana. The Audiogon community ROCKS!!

I now surrender the podium. Happy listening to all, and to all a good night.