Have you tried the ART SLA-1 amp yet?

No trouble, Sean. Don't even give it a second thought!

We have all been in the position of having to apologize here on Audiogon. I've been there, and not just once. That's what makes our group so special - WE ARE REAL PEOPLE.

Anyway, fault isn't making a mistake, it's not owning up to it. To me, a man is someone who can stand up and admit he was wrong.

As you can tell from my posts in these ART threads, I am taking a wait and see attitude about the worthiness of the product. However, having just said that I admire one for standing up and coming clean(even in situations where it may not be necessary), I am wondering when Don will do the same.

In my above post, I mention his initial entry into the threads did not come with the disclosure of being the person doing the mods. One week later we again get all this chatter with Don again not admitting from the get go that he has a financial interest in this venture.

Free advertising is more than offensive to me. I am sure I am not alone in this feeling.

At this point, I must state that despite my belief in products that offer great value, and have heard a certain $200 Kenwood modified to produce very good(NOT THIS BEST I HAVE EVER HEARD BS) sound, I will not consider doing business with Don unless the way he seems to do things changes radically.

Am I closing my ears to perhaps having the best sound I could ever achieve for sake of principle? Maybe, although I doubt it in this case. However, there was recently a very interesting thread which asked the question of whether we go for best sound or other things. While I seemed to feel strongly both ways, factoring in sound and the company, I now feel as if things are more clear to me.

The people you deal with are a bigger factor than I figured. Good sound can be had in lots of places. Investing in product from people you respect definitely increases the value one has received for his money.

The converse is also true.

And, while I mean no offense to Ericthered, speaking from the perspective of being a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, it's always one heck of a lot more dangerous when they start jumping off the bandwagon than when they were trying to climb on. You would never believe the amount of broken ankles. Make sure you stay healthy, because the emergency rooms spill over.

Sean, your post is too long. Frankly, I was surprised that someone who worries so much about the ethics of audio reviewing wasn't offended by the original thread. I was glad to see your apology above The problem here is that everyone (me too, now) who contributes to this thread helps this guy's advertising.

Psychicanimal was kind enough to forward me a link to a similar discussion regarding D911 / ART SLA-1's on another forum. The moderators over at Audiocircle came to the same conclusion that Audiogon did. The fact that Audiogon was the first to catch and delete some of these posts a week ago whereas the guys at AA and Audiocircle are just catching on now shows what a "sharp" bunch we have moderating this forum.

Paulwp: Unfortunately, i can't see all of the threads all of the time. As such, i had missed the fact that D911 was charging to modify these amps was brought up prior to my "outburst". If i would have known then what i know now, i would have never made the comments that i did. Hind-sight is normally 20/20 and this is a perfect example of that. As to my post being "too long", what else is new ??? : ) Sean
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Sean-Others have written to me concerning this thread that has been much talked about. I try to be unbiased ,but after reading a few of the post I have to side with some of the negative opinions concerning the way that D911 (Dan) had gone about promoting the mods.

I just cannot see how buying a $200 Pro Amp then having it Modded for $500 is going to produce a SOTA amp.

There are notable amps costing less that are worth checking out is my point. Weather or not A-GOn or the other sites are against his tactics are not a concern to me,but there are other options available to the consumer.

Regards!

Wow, I checked out the Audiocircle and AA threads, and all I have to say is to ALWAYS go with your first impression.

I am not sure if anyone remembers, but in the initial thread, here comes D911(Don) in out of nowhere, blowing the horn of a product no one has ever heard of. Saying it's the best he's ever come across, and he has owned some really high priced gear.

I could smell this guy a mile away.

So what do I do? Ask him who he is, and what his affiliation to the product is. No, he did not say he was involved, but after my query, he did come clean. He seemed like a nice enough guy, so I gave him the old, you should have been forthright, but we should all move on kind of thing.

Again, ALWAYS go with your first impression.

And, never forget one of my favorite sayings, "If you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas!"

As always, CAVEAT EMPTOR, and let's be careful out here,
Joe