Best set-up for up to 9k retail?

Ahrrrrrr! I didn't mean to start the war here dammit! My fault! Appologies to Twl!

Usually for me one answer on one question is enough to be satisfied...

As to being or not being a part of design team of Teres, I also didn't mean to burn someone on that! To me it's NOTHING-wrong-about situation as long as it helps to the members...

Rives advertises HIS PRODUCTS and his designes, ideas here on the forums and I think with great success and with great help to the members... Anyone has thoughts about Rives?

Yes,I do.Rives is good;reserved and intelligent.He has no need for a megaphone to speak his mind.

Even the casual lurker like me knows when someone asks for a 'table recommendation, Tom will suggest Teres. We can all count on that like the sun rising. Those of us who are not considering buying one in the near future take that en passant.

It really doesn't strike me as selling anymore than when other satisfied owners raise their hands for the equipment they own too. But the most meaningful endorsement comes when the endorser has made active comparisons to validate observations. Tom has done that, a/b'ing against other first-tier rigs.

I find myself 'filtering' out unqualified recommendations which don't note comparisons that support their conclusions. And I've never been in a position to compare my lowly VPI HW19 with other similar-tier 'tables, so any product recommendation I might make would be less than useful.

But what carries the most weight for me is that someone with that much experience with different 'tables, and who has helped me personally with so much analog instruction on so many different aspects, feels so strongly about a product that he doesn't sell. Whenever I think of upgrading, I'll seriously consider Teres, which I would never have heard of if Tom didn't consistenly stick his hand up.

Rives has also provided a lot of education for me with regard to his products. I'm better equipped for it, and I haven't bought any of his stuff yet either.

IMHO, if it wasn't for guys like Tom and Rives, there are countless aspects of audio I would still be ignorant about.

Tim

Geez, Marakanetz, why apologize for opening a can-o-worms with respect to Twl (needlessly, IMHO) and then open another with respect to Rives? Different ballgame, anyway, Rives having product and services to SELL, and Twl not.

That being said, Rives is, by ALL accounts, a straight-shooter and the very soul of discretion who, in addition to offering good and services at a PRICE, also dispenses very helpful tips FREE of charge both in these threads and at his website. In addition, Rives always PRESENTS himself as a seller and does not try to hide behind a moniker to drum up business (which cannot be said for a couple of cable hawkers that I could, but won't, mention). It is wholly unfair to drag him into THIS discussion, though.

In closing my last contribution to what has become a very silly and personally-laced thread, I admit that I agree with Inna in that Twl does NOT need anyone to defend his posts. His longstanding contributions to the site and his furtherance of audio knowledge speaks for itself. Anyone comparing the merits of his posts as compared to certain others within this thread should clearly “consider the source”. Present company not excepted.

That is being said, 4yanx I do not state and never STATED that Tom sells or designes Teres I only ASKED and probably that's why I do appologize.