Thanks for the ideas and suggestions, everyone. Digging up information about some of the candidates I hadn't considered has really helped focus my thoughts.
A couple of things became clear to me in the process. On is that there are a lot of very, very good line stages out there at this price point. The second is that given that sound quality is not so much of an issue, philosophical considerations play a major role in the decision.
I'm a bit of a hair-shoirt guy. I like designs that are totally focussed on sound quality, and I dislike designs that try to be all things to all people. Too many features turn me off. I've always believed that you get a better outcome if you decide up front to completely satisfy a limited set of criteria rather than trying to broaden your customer base as much as possible.
Given that understanding, the choice was simple. Curl, Thompson and Crump are getting my money.
Now all I have to do is wait...
A couple of things became clear to me in the process. On is that there are a lot of very, very good line stages out there at this price point. The second is that given that sound quality is not so much of an issue, philosophical considerations play a major role in the decision.
I'm a bit of a hair-shoirt guy. I like designs that are totally focussed on sound quality, and I dislike designs that try to be all things to all people. Too many features turn me off. I've always believed that you get a better outcome if you decide up front to completely satisfy a limited set of criteria rather than trying to broaden your customer base as much as possible.
Given that understanding, the choice was simple. Curl, Thompson and Crump are getting my money.
Now all I have to do is wait...