Boulder 1060 - Amp for Life ??

Dan, I think you're asking 3 questions:

1) Is there such a thing as an "amp for life"?
Probably not, although you may end up keeping one -or more- for a long time (as Daniel above).

2) If there is..., is the Boulder 1060 one of these amps?
Only your ears, your musical tastes, your taste in speakers, your experience of other amps... can answer that one. Difficult to forecast the future with so many parametres involved.

3) 18k: too much for an amp?
In relative terms, no. What about $50k Mercs or $150k speakers, or $40k amps for that matter -- the list is endless. True, used items are cheaper than new.

The ultimate answers to these questions IMO: the END -- i.e. your enjoyment of music @ home -- should justify the CHOICE (a Boulder?) and the MEANS ($18k: can I do this?).

Your happiness, your money, your tastes... you rule!

Cheers!

When I bought a Goldmund Mimesis 29 for $13,000 new, from my dealer, I could only justify the expenditure because I convinced myself, after weeks of mulling and listening and trying to foresee the future, that it would be the last amp I'd ever own. Within 2 years, I sold it (for less than half price, of course--but at least I sold it). It did NOT work with the Genesis 500 speakers I ended up getting after I bought the amp, and I still don't know the reason why, just not a good match. My dealer urged me to sell the Genesis's (Geneses?) and keep the Goldmund, and probably I would have taken less of a financial loss had I done that, but I really loved the speakers and felt the Goldmund, my "amp for life," had let me down. So I sold it, got an ARC VT100 MkIII for $4500, and have never heard better sound out of my Genesis speakers. But I now don't think in terms of an amp for life. Too many things change. I have found that speakers (and also tuners, I've had a Meridian 204 for 15 yrs) are the one component I end up loving and living with for a LONG time. Everything else is subject to change.

The Boulder 1060 is a bargain in it's own price range.
I have tried Viola Bravo, Griphon Antileon Signature, Vitus ss 101...
They are a great amp. my favorie in my wish list, but Boulder sound is magic..
Look at the building construction, and let your ears enjoy his presentation, you will on paradise.