Dealers hijacking the discussions

Nice- tomic601

I am (3) hours from Atlanta. Whom was your dealer/retailer? So mnay Audio operations have come and gone over the years.
Happy Listening!

Bob, I was over that loss within a few hours.....NOT.....:).   IT will always be there as a lost chance at a NC.  I take ribbing well btw, so keep it coming ;).

As for dealers, Hi Fi Buys in Atlanta is a GREAT dealer.  They offer many top lines and actually ask questions to find what best suits YOU and not THEM.  They don't think about how any points they earn when they sell gear.  Alan is a great guy I'm told.  Never met him, but have emailed with him.  Tell him Pete sent you and he'll laugh I bet.  If I ever have a chance, I hope to get there.  Lot's of my friends have bought all types of gear there.

Bob, as for an Ayre preamp with Vandersteen mono's, I can't afford it, lol.  I only need a balanced, remote volume control.  Very simple, but it's really not as few make anything like this.  I may ask someone I know who knows what they are doing to make one.  I really need to see if my The Memory Player's volume control will work. I know it's digital, but they implement this thing so differently than anything else I"ve heard so maybe it will work.  Heck, I PRAY it does as then I can afford to make a move to the Vandersteen amps or even the Gryphon amps that are exceptional.  

@ctsooner 
Why not see if Ayre can mod the integrated to split the amp and pre? I recall you saying they modded it to eliminate the M5-HP.
I think it was Paul McGowen- PS Audio, who said he believes a preamp is still necessary-after many years believing otherwise.
B

Bob, I asked about them separating them. They can't. Not designed that way, plus I need to money from the sale to pay for the new amps ;).....  I have never head a digital volume control sound nearly as good and dynamic as a good preamp.  That said, I've never heard TMP's volume control and Mark said that it's a revolutionary design. I"ve never heard of one designed this way.  I was told by a designer of very high end gear that IF it works the way he claims that it may just be as transparent as most of the higher end preamps.  If that's teh case and I don't lose anything, then it's the easiest way for me as I can just use the app to control it all and I don't need a connection (getting rid of the AQ WEL balanced cable and the Niagara one if so).  So many reasons for me to want to use just TMP for everything, but I"m skeptical until I heard it a bit for myself.

I second the distaste one can have about the ridiculous misuse of these forums to promote stuff…there are blatant examples of this with exaggerated and preposterous multi paragraphed promotional screeds claiming to simply be "sharing" the promoter's enthusiasm for a product. Note that generally these hard sell promotions are regarding relatively unproven (except for a hard core of supporters who repeatedly provide breathless overdone comments in support of this stuff) tweaks that are claimed to provide astonishing enhancement of a system with hyperbole aimed at the insecure audio geek.