quiet hiss in backround?

It's easier to hate than love. Anything SS will immediately garner haters from tube lovers, and Krell seems to embody everything they hate about SS. I think that's because it is so SS. Krell just doesn't make any effort to take the edge off and appeal to people in the middle like Ayre, Rowland, Levinson. etc. They simply don't care and instead are intent on exploring what SS can do and do well.

Wilson garners hate because they are expensive, well known, popular, and specifically engineered to sound good at the expense of what some people feel is a sacrifice in realism. Did you ever hear anyone in High school refer to the hottest girl like this: "She's hot, but .....". That's because they're jealous and they know she won't go out with them, so they make themselves feel better by bringing her down.

For me I see the merits of it all. Tubes and SS both do different things well. It doesn't mean one has to be better than the other. Speakers are the same. Wilsons do sound good. So do others and they're all different.

I bought a high quality dolly, and some furniture dollies so I don't have to pick stuff up. That way I can keep trying different things though I do admit to leaning to smaller pieces when given the opportunity. I don't want to find that forever piece because I'm having too much fun. I do admit to being slightly jealous when I find someone who has. :)

although i say i wouldn't replace it...part is love but part is money and apathy as well. over time, it rises and falls in the scope of priority and we get those moments where we realize it all sounds good and we are just playing like kids in a sandbox. if i was making as much money as i had been 5 or 6 years ago i may be hanging out at the shops a bit more and taking it more seriously but, as many others have, i am simplifying life a bit and unfortunately the hobby was impacted. i suppose that is what led to some of the realization that it does sound amazing so just enjoy the music! there are also very few places to listen here (2) and they have not carried a wide variety of interesting manufacturers. for example, i have never listened to rowland although i always wanted too. all i have read is rave and they are beautiful pieces. ariels also. your stuff looks great and i assume sounds great but i have never listened. of all that i have heard and a change i do think about, i still have a lust for the revel salon's, yet another well known speaker!

i have a dolly also but my amp is hanging from my ceiling on a commercial hvac rack so it would be a chore to get it down. most on here would probably crucify me for the way it is configured but it sounds no different from when it was on an amp stand in my living room. i think you could put an amp of that size anywhere and it would sound the same. never understood that part of the obsession.

I can understand your reluctance. It is a pain. The Salons are great. I also think you should have a quiet amp. That kind of thing drives me nuts!

As for limited retail outlets I've all but quit looking at stuff in stores anyway. You lose 50% from retail to used so just buy used smartly, try it for a while, and move it on. It's funny but I wish I'd had $100,000 (or more for that matter) in used audio gear in 2008. Then it wouldn't have lost 40% of it value.

BTW if you ever want a non biased opinion on something you're thinking of trying feel free to email. I've not heard as much as some, but I have heard a lot.

i agree re used stuff. most of mine was purchased on here but i did know the guys really well at one shop so we used to play around with stuff quite a bit.

so what would you do to maximize what i have (value) and get some better sound...don't include the hiss in your assessment! one thing i have considered is selling the watch center and surrounds as i think i could pull some $ to use for improvement and replace with something that would fill nicely for less. i know some updates, change would improve but i suppose i am a bit scared to start playing with it...

wish i would have used this forum years ago. it is amazing how good people like yourself are so quick to help. gives me hope for the human race!

Well for starters I think 2 channel is the place to focus your attention if you are looking for great music reproduction. I keep my 2 channel and home theater separate. For HT I have a nice system comprised of Denon and B&W for home theater. Probably totaling about the cost of just your center channel speaker.

The WP7's are terrific speakers. If you like the Wilson sound then there's no need to change that but I know you are tempted by Revel. The Salon 2's would be a stright across move for you cost wise. Since I know you like the Krell sound I think you'll like the Salons better than the WP7's. More refined and detailed, less balance and overall smoothness.

As for combination if you keep the WP7's, which is what I recommend, I definitely think you should consider other options. The Krell is not the first amp I'd suggest for WP7's. The nice thing is the WP7's work well with lots of components. I figure your Krell is worth $5000-$6000 or so used.

I personally think the WP7's would mate the best with tubes. Lamm is supposed to be an out of this world match, and I suspect BAT would be great too. There is an interesting snippet from the latest CES about a BAT VK55se amp and WP8's that Dave Wilson thought was as good as anything else he's heard http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2009/ . I also think Wilson uses Audio Research to voice their speakers so that's an obvious choice. Depending on the $ you spent you could get a Wilson sub or keep the Thiel to augment any drop off in bass response you suffer.

Figuring you prefer SS over tubes the WP7's just don't need that big burly amplifier you've got. In fact I suspect you're over-driving them. Pass would be my best suggestion. You could get a 250.5 for less $, 350.5 for the same, or a 600.5 monos for $9-$10k or so. As for Rowland I prefer the 300 series stuff. The 201 monos and 501 monos are good and rediculously small but can seem a bit dry. I'd look for a 312 or 302 but they'll both run $8000-$9500. They won't break your back though. Mine is like 65 lbs.