Very helpful- Dave.
perusing this thread you will have learned that I am in the process of building my reference system :)
Over the past 4 years, I have been fortunate to demo and audition much gear, especially, cabling. There are still a few brands of gear on my short-list to demo. Cabling as well. So it is particularly helpful to me, from you guys that actually have a local dealer/retailer (like oblgny: example),
to report the things -good, bad, indifferent- you all are hearing in the show rooms.
I am not one to rotate gear like most audiophiles. Considering the monies involved, I will keep my reference system for many, many years.
I do not play on that merry-go-round. SR has been on my radar for some time now. My closest Audio market would be Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans or northern Florida. My travels and expert demo time has been in
Texas, North Carolina, and Maryland.
We all have different locales across our wonderful nation. This is so helpful
in deducing which brands to audition and those that can be avoided.
Saves money, time as well. I enjoy all dealers/retailers small, medium and large. On hand and avail for demo really peaks my interest.
Keep posting!