Mike....there is another thread running on the Audio Perfectionist which I just posted to. In short, IMO, Richard Hardesty is the closest thing you are likely to find to a "straight shooter" in this industry. FWIW, if you like his writing (I do) and seeing that you have similar tastes in system construction, you might want to attend one of his seminars which he does in his home with his system. Usually a two-day affair, it is affordable and a nice opportunity to meet an industry veteran and learn about his views on systems and system tuning.