$100,000 line stage

Sorry about confusing the W.C.Fields/P.T.Barnum quote! But it's appropo, no?

Ignorance is bliss. The build and parts quality justifies the price tag. The internal wiring is all liquid metal and all those zip ties receive quantum treatment. The high quality fuses are also directional. This stuff is not cheap ya’ll. Sure, my buddy's Z06 costs less but it does not have the bespoke plywood and zip ties.

Back in the late Seventies The Audio Critic tested the Mark Levinson ML6 mono preamps. And thought they were the best sounding units of that time. But the cost - $6000 for the pair! The most expensive preamps at that moment! Peter Aczel (TAC) recommended buying instead the ML7 preamp (single chassis) for a mere $4700 - if one couldn't afford the ML6's.

If I could have afforded it then, I would have bought the $6K pair of ML6's! Now in the present day I had the cash but had forgotten about them (and the ML7). Oy Veh!

Anybody remember a short-lived magazine called Ultra Hi Fi? I bought a few issues and then it disappeared! This was about 1990. Today there would be plenty of pricey components to fill those pages!