hinde

Responses from hinde

High End Amp Price Collapse musings
I do feel badly after reading this.  Just bought a pair of Clayton M 300's a few months ago.  Silly me.:) 
recommendations of phono preamps < $3000 range
Octave Eq.?  Can't remember if its .2 or .5.  A great phono stage for $1750 new.  I had it for a while, but ended up wanting more.  Had to go to Simaudio 610lp at $7500 retail to beat it.  Can't guarantee it will work with everything but most defi... 
Am I the only one to opt-out on the Sopra 2's?
Thanks for the responses.  I'm sure that the Sopra's work well with the right electronics and in the right room.  I'm also sure that some will listen to them and love their sound.  Personal taste is probably the most important variable.  And so I ... 
amps for Merlin VSM-MXE
For a solid state option, consider the Clayton M 100's. 
Looking for solid state integrated amp.
Primare has a small integrated (A20 MkII, I believe)which would be in your range of purchased used. A seriously underknown and underated integrated. 
When someone sells a Arcam cd92,what next?
A second vote for the emc 
Klyne with Clayton or Berning?
When I last asked a St. Louis dealer several months ago, Clayton was indeed still in business. However, I haven't had any direct contact with the Company. 
Speaker List
Thank you all. I now have a list and a way to spend my free time on the road. I'm planning to audition a pair of Dynaudio Contour T2.5's soon and will use them as a baseline. Its not a job, its an adventure.Thanks again. 
Which power amp is the best for my Contour 1.3 SE?
Look at a used pair of Clayton Audio M 70's. There is a used one listed on this sight at well within your budget. I can vouch for the product, but not the specific one listed. 
Under 1k integrated recomendations
There is a used Primare A20 Mk II listed at $1000. You don't hear a lot about them, but I've been using one for about a year and have been very impressed. I have to qualify my opinion since I moved up to it from an old Luxman receiver and just rec... 
Power Amp/Pre-Amp
As I continue to think through this upgrading process, I find myself with a chicken and egg question. Since I currently have an integrated amp, I will need to audition both pre-amps and power amps. I can't figure out how to make solid comparisons ... 
Power Amp/Pre-Amp
Thank you all for your advice. Several of the names mentioned were on my list, but others were not. My next challenge will be to see whats available locally. My budget has just been sidetracked by a bamboo fly rod. This is just as well as I can no...