"You are buying a fabulous statement product that will serve you well. Both the preamp and amp are beauties. I don't know if you said what you plan to do about speakers? "
Come visit you and audition some Focals 😀 It could happen. I've been in the hobby for 40 years since at age 18 using my restaurant dishwashing job to buy Large Advents, a Sansuii 991(?) receiver and a BIC turntable. Then came constant upgrades particularly once out of law school. At age 30 or so I bought a pair of the original B&W Matrix 805's, a McCormack DNA.5 SE and a McCormack preamp (the passive buffered one whatever the model number might be). JPS Labs made a device called "Golden Flutes" that were powered by wall warts and went in between the amp and speakers to boost the bass response and I had those. Then came the MCAudio "Full Monty" upgrade following the shuttering of McCormack. Next I replaced the passive preamp with an Audio Prism Mantissa and then came Acoustic Zen Adagios when they were the budget hot item and then a NOS ARC VS110 (a well-to-do audiophile bought two with the second as a back-up and it sat in a closet for 7-8 years in its original packaging). With the digital player market in gear I tried a PC based music server and then upgraded to the much smaller and easier Aurender N100H with an Abbingdon DP777 dac. Then came a return to vinyl with too many tables and phono stages to list but I've settled down with a Manley Steelhead and two tables that sit on wall mounts flanking each side of my main equip rack-a VPI Prime with the Phoenix PS and tach and a fully restored Thorens TD124. My dad bought the Thorens in 1959 and after daily use when I was a kid my dad left it sitting idle for 25 years when CD's emerged in '84 or so. I had just read Art Dudley's piece on restoring a used TD124 and while visiting my parents one day I asked my dad if he still had the Thorens. I suspected it might be a 124 but was not sure. As soon as I saw it again after all that time I was happy as a clam-Dad was happy to give it to me-it no longer ran. I lusted for the ARC Ref 6 as soon as it came out-I never liked the looks of the toggles on ARC preamps. The ARC GS150 sure looks better than the Ref 150 SE but they are identical but for the chasis and meters (I confirmed with ARC) and the price differential.... Sorry for the long historical background.
Come visit you and audition some Focals 😀 It could happen. I've been in the hobby for 40 years since at age 18 using my restaurant dishwashing job to buy Large Advents, a Sansuii 991(?) receiver and a BIC turntable. Then came constant upgrades particularly once out of law school. At age 30 or so I bought a pair of the original B&W Matrix 805's, a McCormack DNA.5 SE and a McCormack preamp (the passive buffered one whatever the model number might be). JPS Labs made a device called "Golden Flutes" that were powered by wall warts and went in between the amp and speakers to boost the bass response and I had those. Then came the MCAudio "Full Monty" upgrade following the shuttering of McCormack. Next I replaced the passive preamp with an Audio Prism Mantissa and then came Acoustic Zen Adagios when they were the budget hot item and then a NOS ARC VS110 (a well-to-do audiophile bought two with the second as a back-up and it sat in a closet for 7-8 years in its original packaging). With the digital player market in gear I tried a PC based music server and then upgraded to the much smaller and easier Aurender N100H with an Abbingdon DP777 dac. Then came a return to vinyl with too many tables and phono stages to list but I've settled down with a Manley Steelhead and two tables that sit on wall mounts flanking each side of my main equip rack-a VPI Prime with the Phoenix PS and tach and a fully restored Thorens TD124. My dad bought the Thorens in 1959 and after daily use when I was a kid my dad left it sitting idle for 25 years when CD's emerged in '84 or so. I had just read Art Dudley's piece on restoring a used TD124 and while visiting my parents one day I asked my dad if he still had the Thorens. I suspected it might be a 124 but was not sure. As soon as I saw it again after all that time I was happy as a clam-Dad was happy to give it to me-it no longer ran. I lusted for the ARC Ref 6 as soon as it came out-I never liked the looks of the toggles on ARC preamps. The ARC GS150 sure looks better than the Ref 150 SE but they are identical but for the chasis and meters (I confirmed with ARC) and the price differential.... Sorry for the long historical background.
