Dirk Diggler

It used to be $4.99 but now is at a whoppin' $5.99. yourmusic.com Did you check that out? You have to "subscribe", and then you can buy 1 CD per month for $5.99. Wow. Yeah, $5.99 shipped. Wow. Dude, Keep your mouth shut, ship the CDs to these poor guys, and go away. I can't believe after 6 weeks of this, you would even attempt to be a smartass. What a tool.

...was one of the great and influential rock records. Nice choice.

In that price range, I would strongly consider this Integra (Onkyo's premium line) listed on Audiogon. http://gon8.audiogon.com/i/c/f/1151696145.jpg

I always wondered where steamer came from. Now I know - just glad it wasn't for Cleveland Steamer. Have a nice 4th as well.

Sweet, I think I'll try that at the beach next week. The kids should love that one.

I have heard positive things regarding Cayin modded Amp from TAD. Has anyone listened to the TAD-60 EL-34 based amplifier? They have a nice deal on Audiogon currently. I wanted to see if anyone has given this one any time. Thanks.

My amp has an input impedence of 33K ohms. How would that mate with a Merlin?

Fini, You ARE the master. I love your sense of humor, btw.

Mark, Thanks for the info on impedence matching. I would like a solid bottom end, but want a balanced system as much as anything. Any recommendations on a good, affordable (under a grand, pre-owned) that will mate well with your Merlin? The Peach is out of my budget a bit. Thanks for your help.

Duke, That is an excellent point.

Thanks for the input guys. I have heard some nice things about the Merlin. Kev, I am not familiar with gainclone amps. Is this a chip amp? In the meantime, I will try to do a little research.

What combos have you tried that have a great mix of a great low end and the warm, lush sound that only tubes will provide? I am planning on experimenting with a line tube preamp and quality pair of SS monos. My budget is pretty tight for this system. I am looking at the JM Merlin among others? Any thoughts?

Paul, does your wife have a sister?

One of the reviews on the Model 24 had it paired with the SM 70 Pros. It was given a very favorable review.

I ran across this unit on Audiogon from Monarchy Audio. The Model 24 is a 24/96 Tube DAC and Tube Line Preamp for under a grand. I think this is an intro price on Audiogon and it lists for $1,500. This seems like a practical solution for someone with good Solid State amplification that wants to add tubes in their system at an affordable price. I have owned a pair of Monarchy SE-100 solid state amps and they were a sweet pair. I sold them to finance another project and have regretted it ever since. http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1156092138