Adcom, Acurus or McCormack

Thats an interesting thought Tbridges. I have "upgraded" that HK 730 once before when a channel went out only to find that I had taken a step backward instead of forward. Interestingly enough that product gets a high rating on audioreview

McCormack vs. others mentioned? Slightly softened bass..yes. but the elusive quality that others do not possess. MUSICALITY, EARTHY VOICING,AIRY. When i upgrade to a power cord Synergistic.. IT WAS THE MOST RESPONSIVE! adcom- compressed width of stage. acurus- akin to audiolab, fast but fatiguing with high volume classical music. McCormack-(check the above configuration) AND BY THE WAY...McCormack is better of without a CHANGLIGHTSPEED. Check if it is consistent with other line conditioners.

Keep the hk730 and upgrade the preamp.

The new generation McCormack DNA-125 is an absolute best buy, read the reviews on audioreview.com and stereotimes.com. Better, listen for yourself. I had this amp for 2 months now. It is truly amazing.

I have a McCormack DNA-1 with a McCormack ALD-1 pre amp both of which have been upgraded by Steve McCormack. They provide plenty of smooth bass into my Dahlquist DQM9s. You can pick up a DNA-1 in the $900.00 range and upgrade it later. The B upgrade makes a very noticeable difference in both the amp and pre-amp.

Kennyt, your post has been very informative. I have read that the Acurus tends to be bright, but had not read anything about the lack of bass punch in the McCormack.I think I'll take your advice and try the Acurus, but if I run across a good deal on the McCormack i just may try it also. My Infinity's do carry a good bass response and may make up for the lack in the McCormack. Thanks

Artemus, I havent't listened to and Adcom amp in my system, but I have had an Aragon 4004 mkII, Acurus A250 and 200x3 and both a McCormack DNA 1 and 2 in both my HT and reference system, the Acurus and Aragon have far better punch and bass than the McCormack, but are somewhat bright,the Acurus more so than the Aragon, the McCormack has MUCH smoother mids and highs,especially evident on vocals (female esp) but is clearly weaker in the bass department. All the infinity speakers I've heard run a little sharp and don't pack much bass, so both of these might fall short in your system, both for different reasons. There are plenty of good amps around that might serve you better. I've gone to Linn AV 5105's and find them far smoother while still being very dynamic and full of bass. That said, Acurus A250's seem to have been running ~$500-$550 for about a year (I'm still using one for the surrounds-I'll sell it someday) so if you were to buy one, you could fairly easily resell it for little to no loss. Basically you need to try them and see what works best for you. Happy listening!

How about a Power Modules 150A or 350A. Designed by Dave Belles. Check out their website, If interested? Give me an e-mail. Also look in Dec. Stereophile. WWW.POWERMODULES.COM/ You'll be glad you looked.

I have a Acurus A250 tucked away that you might be interested in?