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Boulder 866—Why Did You Sell?

I am curious as to why it seems there are always multiple 866 integrateds available on the pre-owned market. I have been considering this integrated for some time, but the frequency at which they pop up for sale gives me some pause. At the volumes an integrated such as the 866 likely sells, it seems odd that more than one or two examples would be on the pre-owned market at any given time. 

Of course, one can always buy a used example and then move it on for relatively little loss, but flipping gear is exhausting, especially in the current market. 

So for those of you who moved on from the 866, to what did you upgrade and why?

 

 
 

 

helomech
ronboco
890 posts
 

I won’t be selling my 866. It pairs very nicely with my Rockports 

re-lar-kvothe's avatar
re-lar-kvothe
185 posts
 

I wanted a new Luxman 509z. I was offered what I paid for the 866 (used) as a trade in so I went with the 509z and never looked back. 

greenngoldcheesehead
61 posts
 

I can tell you why I didn't buy one...just play the Cure's Just Like Heaven on one and see if you can get thru the song.  Every cymbal crash was like nails on a chalkboard - extremely harsh.  I demo'd it with a Hegel and a Pass Labs.  It was beyond analytical and just painful.  I went it wanting so much to buy one.

helomech OP
1,782 posts
 

I wanted a new Luxman 509z. I was offered what I paid for the 866 (used) as a trade in so I went with the 509z and never looked back. 

I can tell you why I didn't buy one...just play the Cure's Just Like Heaven on one and see if you can get thru the song.  Every cymbal crash was like nails on a chalkboard - extremely harsh.  I demo'd it with a Hegel and a Pass Labs.  It was beyond analytical and just painful.  I went it wanting so much to buy one.
 

Thanks, these are useful anecdotes. I haven’t heard the 509Z but did slightly prefer my current integrated (Axxess Forté1) to the 507Z. 

I am familiar with Hegel and Pass—both can sound a little too warm for my preferences, so perhaps the Boulder is more neutral, perhaps closer to the Benchmark sound, which isn’t quite my cup of tea either. I have heard some Rockports driven by large Boulder monoblocks. That system sounded near perfect but way out of my budget. 

 

 

surfmuz
409 posts
 

At some point the idea that integrated is somehow limited compared to separates starts to grow in audiophiles cerebral cortex and at breaking point they sell it.

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