Crusty, another point is: this forum is populated by people who have long ago moved beyond the question the op posed. Why take the word of some guy who wrote an article? The op not only wants an answer to the assertion made in the article he cites, he wants it provided to him by Audiogoners.
If you want to be an audiophile, you have to do the work yourself. Yes, drop a Crown (or chip amp, or any other) into your system, and listen for yourself. Whether or not any particular amp is acceptable is a matter of personal discrimination. No one can answer that question for the op, and the sooner he learns that, the better.
Though I didn't do it, also justifiable is questioning the notion of there being a pricepoint at which "the law of diminishing returns kicks in" (if only it were that simple). Talk about a subjective judgment!
