Aria owners? Mike Elliot's new company

Kevziek,

Nothing agaisnt B&W. I said it's the 'combination' of krell and B&W I don't
care for. Krell sounds better without B&W, and B&W sounds better
without krell to my ears.

BTW, how do you know what 'accuracy' is?

ditto on the B&W comment; i was referring to them used with krell but of course that's a general statement based on what i've heard demo'd and depends on the rest of the gear.

Yes, accuracy is a relative term. Nothing is really accurate. My presumption is that if a piece of gear reveals more of what is going on in the music, it is more accurate. However, the piece may be more accurate in some ways, but less accurate in other ways. For example, a really great transistor amp can reveal more detail and dig further into the mix, but it may also be more harmonically threadbare at the same time. It's a hard hobby -- I continue to be amazed at the discoveries I make while comparing equipment, but in the end, it shows me how inaccurate the art of stereo reproduction really is.

*I continue to be amazed at the discoveries I make while comparing
equipment, but in the end, it shows me how inaccurate the art of
stereo reproduction really is. *

Indeed. It all depends on how
each listener values his/her sonic priorities. (including a pursuit of
an accuracy that may or may not exist )

A quick note regarding the B&W's.

First; I agree with the statement regarding Krell and B&W, great HiFi, lousy musicality, IMO. Last year I went looking for new speakers, auditioned dozens, I listened to the B&W's, but they never convinced my ears they should be in the running. (Yes I took my own CD's for consistency). I finally went with Coincident's, but many speakers where more musical than the B&W's.

Second; There was a B&W at my local store which had a nice cut away. I saw this before my final decision but after listening. The cut away was there to show the insides. This was a factory demo of their construction, and judging from what I saw, they have no desire to satisfy the true music lover. They use simple cheap wiring, (though the colours where nice), connected like your average car stereo speaker leads. No soldering. The crossover used what looked like the least expensive parts on the planet. No hard wireing anywhere I could see. Simple Mass Market, advertise the hell out of it and the rats will come to the piper.

Regarding Mike Elliot and his amps. I had his Counterpoint SA-12, 15 years old, up till last year. I brought to my home a lot of todays really good amps for comparison, (Lumely, Canary, BAT, Pass, Krell, Rotel, Parasound, and a few others). Yes they sounded a bit better, but not enough to make me want to buy them. That was untill I heard the Atma-Sphere M60's. It was better in every way, but even at that, not near what I thought. I would love to hear one of his upgraded Counterpoint amps or his Aria's. He is a great designer, and is now using the best parts available. I don't see how someone could go wrong.