I have a fully upgraded McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe (drove it to Steve McCormack's house for the upgrade) which is just killer. I lived with the std DNA-1 Deluxe for 2 years with Apogee Centuar Majors, Audible Illusions Mod.3A, Linn LP-12, and Meridian 508.20 (pretty revealing). The update was well worth the $1200 (price from memory, might be wrong). The bass fundamental is rock solid and dynamic, the midrange and highs opened up even more. I've since picked up a pair of JM Labs Mezzo Utopias and Perpetual tech P1/P3 with Modwright 2. The McCormack still sings beautifully. You might check out a used McCormack 225 which might be cheaper than a DNA-1 Deluxe plus an upgrade.