Looks like I'm on to something here with all the positive feedback. Impedance problems should be avoided with a thorough demo in my system once I narrow down the competition. A new(used to me) Levinson 334 should be arriving in a week. Got a good deal. This reminds me of something I think should be the subject of its own post. I sorta feel sorry for those of us who have paid retail for some of this gear. Case in point, the 334. This sucker retail for what? $7000? Same story with my 360S DAC. In this economy, it's really a buyer's market for used hi-end gear. I wonder how much this cuts into the collective hi-end industry's bottom line? I read on the Levison site that the 360 was such a success since they sold 7500 units, and Levinson is a lot bigger than most audiophile companies. I've seen 5 sell only in the last 2 months on Audiogon. No wonder I've twice heard rumors about Levinson going out of business. They have scaled back/consolidated operations.
But I digress. For those of you who recommended Audio Research. One thing that has given me pause is the size of the power supply in units like the LS16. Actually, until I became aware of this criticism, I was in the market for a LS16 II. Warner, you recommend the 16, is yours a Mk. II? The second interation uses the same circuit improvements as the REf.II and the LS25II. Or some sort of trickle-down version of it anyway. Also do you use the Sovtek tube or NOS? What would you recommend? And since I listen to a lot of modern music, bass response is also a concern with tube gear. Thanks again for all the helpful posts.
