Wow, lots to respond to:
Elberoth2: No problem, I am sure your intentions were honorable.
Steinway57: Having an audio dealer friend "who has been in the business for 3 decades+, and who really has golden ears and also can sell the amp if he chooses, heard it an was less than impressed. He says it was blown away by other amps costing a small fraction of its price." means nothing. Where did he hear it? What did he know that was in the system? Unless he was incredibly familiar with the entire system, how could he pinpoint the bad sound to the amplifier? Do you really think he could sell the amplifier if he really wanted to? I do not think he could and I think he is misleading you. Hear it for yourself, I would bet my left testicle you would not agree with him. :) BTW, I am much more fond of my left testicle than my right.
Frank: I do not want to get into the SST situation. I am happy to talk to you offline, but another person you should contact is Calloway here on Audiogon. The product is good sounding, but incredibly dangerous and I would not use it. The Vivd on the other hand is terrific.
Dlanselm: I cannot really know for sure. There are plenty of people that love to tweak. It does not matter how good a component sounds, there may always be a bit more there with propoer isolation, damping, contact enhancement, etc. I generally stop at anything that voids a warranty.
Essentailaudio: With all due respect, I do not think Mike was really addressing you.
Jond: Very well said! Hearsay is not generally worth repeating if one is putting their name along with it. Someone told me that once :)
