NeverForever

This is a subject that touches a raw nerve with me. A Nikko 850 amp in nice condition was selling for $45 on CL. I jumped on it, agreed to meet the seller in a couple of days (a Friday), only to have him tell me that he sold the amp to somebody else the next day, somebody who had "expressed interest" before me. I would gladly have paid more. And I would have gladly dealt with somebody more honorable . . . It looked like a good one, or I wouldn't have been so aggravated by the whole situation:

I have a 981HD, so I'll join the chorus; the Oppo's volume needs to be set at "20". Supposedly there's sonic degradation introduced when you allow the player's digital attenuation to kick in. That's what the internetz says anyway . . . Besides, balancing two variables just to set your volume should drive you crazy! [:S] Your DVD player might be better than mine for CD playback, but diverting the signal through a DAC sounded a lot better in my system. Still prefer vinyl, though.

Exactly what I've experienced. I thought my Heresy's sounded awful on the floor. They're elevated about 18" and I use a single PSB subwoofer--much better sounding to my ears. Theory is fine, but living with what you like best is what it's all about. I have a lot of experience with different speakers, amps and sources, from single-driver full-rangers to electrostatics, from vinyl to DACs, tubes to Tripath, so I have been able to compare. The only long-term constants in my system have been the my Heresy's and my Denon DL-103, which I find kind of amusing, since they're both fairly old designs and represent the very ends of the audio chain.