...and thank you for the contrarian viewpoint, Lance!
One of the fascinating and frustrating aspects of audio is how often obvious and brilliant ideas just don't hold up in practice.
During my time with a builder of very expensive tube amps, my favorite models were their integrateds. Admittedly, at $6k and $19k, they'd better be damned GOOD integrateds, but still: they were playing against separates costing over $30k. I found their sound to be more cohesive and natural than the pre/power set-ups.
I've had similar experiences with use of electronic xovers and multi-amps. Perhaps tweakmeisters like Jim Smith or Clark Johnsen can make such systems sing, but I felt I was always chasing ground-faults, hums, imabalances--always somethin'!
One of the fascinating and frustrating aspects of audio is how often obvious and brilliant ideas just don't hold up in practice.
During my time with a builder of very expensive tube amps, my favorite models were their integrateds. Admittedly, at $6k and $19k, they'd better be damned GOOD integrateds, but still: they were playing against separates costing over $30k. I found their sound to be more cohesive and natural than the pre/power set-ups.
I've had similar experiences with use of electronic xovers and multi-amps. Perhaps tweakmeisters like Jim Smith or Clark Johnsen can make such systems sing, but I felt I was always chasing ground-faults, hums, imabalances--always somethin'!