Brainwater and Puremusic, thank you for the input ... very much appreciated. I will consider the Elrod Statement for the amp, I may be able to just pick up a used one here on a'gon and turn it around if it does not fit in my current setup ... I have heard that the elrod pc is the best out there for amps and a friend has strongly recommended it but he lives too far for me to audition it, but you guys are really twisting my arm here ... man oh man, my wife is going to kill me ... :)
As regards the symposiums, I have not tried the inverted setup mentioned above because I don't use the ultra/quantum platforms beneath the rollerblocks, but instead I use an older HRS M2 which is made of a special polymer (with a coriander base underneath) that is not as hard as the surface in the symposium shelves (and so I would lose or severely limit the rolling effect of the rollerball). I initially tried them in single stacked config. and found marginal improvement double stacking them (however I felt it was worth it in my system despite the cost/performance ratio, as were the grade 3 balls). My impression is that the grade 3 ball has a better surface to roll on if used in double stacked config. due to both contact surfaces being polished (I don't think the ultra/quantum shelves offer this yet but you should try to email symposium, they would be able to give you the best advice) ... I found the recommended lubricant does not work in my system (so take that with a grain of salt).
As regards the symposiums, I have not tried the inverted setup mentioned above because I don't use the ultra/quantum platforms beneath the rollerblocks, but instead I use an older HRS M2 which is made of a special polymer (with a coriander base underneath) that is not as hard as the surface in the symposium shelves (and so I would lose or severely limit the rolling effect of the rollerball). I initially tried them in single stacked config. and found marginal improvement double stacking them (however I felt it was worth it in my system despite the cost/performance ratio, as were the grade 3 balls). My impression is that the grade 3 ball has a better surface to roll on if used in double stacked config. due to both contact surfaces being polished (I don't think the ultra/quantum shelves offer this yet but you should try to email symposium, they would be able to give you the best advice) ... I found the recommended lubricant does not work in my system (so take that with a grain of salt).