I am biased in saying this, but sound-wise, Levinson, Rowland, AudioResearch,
and several others are just about as good as anything out there. I don't believe that for ex. Dartzeel and similar more exotic brands CAN SOUND significantly better. But... OTOH there are cosmetic issues, mega-power issues, "hand-built" issues, and loyalty issues that confuse the reality
when making neutral comparisons. Also, NAD, Bryston, and PS Audio have
become better and better over the years ( also Sony, Yamaha, Teac, Primaire, etc.) and are blurring the lines from the opposite side of the official "state of the art" level of audio gear. SO... are the Boulder 3060 monoblock amps in an even more elite class? I guess so, but without
a very large array of speakers to drive in a HUGE room, my curiousity about the sound they might make fades rather quickly.
and several others are just about as good as anything out there. I don't believe that for ex. Dartzeel and similar more exotic brands CAN SOUND significantly better. But... OTOH there are cosmetic issues, mega-power issues, "hand-built" issues, and loyalty issues that confuse the reality
when making neutral comparisons. Also, NAD, Bryston, and PS Audio have
become better and better over the years ( also Sony, Yamaha, Teac, Primaire, etc.) and are blurring the lines from the opposite side of the official "state of the art" level of audio gear. SO... are the Boulder 3060 monoblock amps in an even more elite class? I guess so, but without
a very large array of speakers to drive in a HUGE room, my curiousity about the sound they might make fades rather quickly.