Gee. This has turned out to be a more provocative exchange than I had anticipated. I can't say that I regret having generated it, particularly because it has served to raise interesting philosophical questions well beyond the immediate issue of the quality of a piece of audio gear. With regard to my original post, I would like to note again that had I left out the parenthetical reference to the seller (the parentheses truly were an attempt to background rather than foreground this information, but I do recognize that that very gesture was itself subject to misconstrual) then no one would have taken issue with my inquiry. That inquiry was based upon my own sad experience of having been too often infatuated with a piece of equipment only to experience disappointment over the long haul. I really was looking for some reassurance that that would not be the case with the Berning.
My conclusions are twofold: one, that the Berning is as good as it initially appears to be; and two, that this exchange has ended up by bringing out the best in all who participated in it.
My conclusions are twofold: one, that the Berning is as good as it initially appears to be; and two, that this exchange has ended up by bringing out the best in all who participated in it.