Anyone heard the E.A.R. "Acute"?

Thanks a lot Calvinj and Pdreher. Pdreher, which version of the Acute do you have? Would you mind sharing a bit more in terms of your listening impressions? Thanks again.

The talk of the build quality in EAR products might be the result of Paravicini's distain for audiophile-approved boutique brand "magic" parts. That's he talking, not I. Don't blame the messenger!

I don't think Ear makes the Acute anymore. They do a dac/transport thing for about $13K. I have the previous version without the digital in. It sounds very good. Detailed enough, yet smooth. You can also fool around with tubes if you like to alter the sound. Other than the digital in, I don't think the last version is any different from the previous, although they changed the dac ship to the newer Wolfson, which has a higher sampling rate. A friend bought one after hearing mine and I really don't think there's any difference, although we didn't A/B them in the same room. It's a solid player at a decent price, especially used.

Every question I posed to the US distributor of EAR products was answered in a timely manner. Did you contact Dan Meinwald at EAR-USA? BTW: He reps some very nice brands.

Thank you all for the information. I appreciate it and would like to hear more of the experiences of EAR owners. I have a great dealer (Jim Pendleton) here locally, and he has arranged an audition for me. He says that Dan Meinwald of EAR USA has always been very helpful and responsive. I called Dan as well, and he called me back promptly.