Iagree with justlisten Levinson Krell and the other started out very small they have put in their time and they get what they deserve. They make the best gear out there. There is also other great gear. In this market you get what you pay fro. You can buy an amp for half of the new retail of say a krell amp but who is to say that company will be around next week? Buying from these well known well respected high end companys gives you a sense of reassurance that if you amp goes down it will be fixed and done properly. Classe makes great sounding gear and their prices arent very high. Also why not look on the used market? It is a great way to get into highend for half the new retail. Good Luck
Hidden GEMS
I am in search of small audio manufacturers out there that put out high quality equipment at extraordinary value. Companies that don't spend any money on advertising/hype but that are there to promote their to sell their well made products at a fair value. I don not mean ML,Krell, Plinius, AR, Sonic Frontier, etc...all good products but absolutely REDICULOUSLY priced!!!