WC,
As a doctor, even though you never sought me as your doctor, I say you are right that although many patients come to see me after they have researched things, they come to see me for my experience and judgment because I have read the internet also. Just like audio journalism, medical research is often biased, so I always ask other doctors I know about their firsthand experiences. Your listening experiences are as valid as my medical experiences.
However, I have sympathy and concern about your feverish audio pursuits that can create financial ruin and emotional distress. I just point out a few examples of a big audio industry myth that has misled you (not your fault). That is, the most expensive flagship of a product line MUST be better than the lower models. You loved the Colosseum, and assumed that the flagship and newer Mephisto must be better. As of now, you are unhappy with the Mephisto, and I hope you can correct this situation. Next, you considered the Sim 860 V2 to be an outstanding amp in both absolute performance and value. You have NO basis for thinking the flagship 888 MUST be better, just because it is more expensive and powerful. After you hear it, that is another story. And I already noted how the more powerful and expensive Bryston 4B SST2 was inferior to my Bryston 2.5B SST2 for clarity. I won't be surprised if the less expensive and powerful Gryphon Essence is better in clarity than the Mephisto.
It just seems strange that it has never happened that when you got an amp, you had such high expectations which were then dashed when the reality of listening kicked in. It is not because the Mephisto is an intolerant race car that can only be driven by a trained professional driver. The Merrill is also a high performance machine, but it sounds good with any ancillary components.
Certainly, sell the HD preamp and Momentum S250 amp. They are overpriced euphonic pieces, and you are done with them. Do you still have the Christine preamp? If not, the ARC ref 6SE is a great preamp. Make room for the Boulder 2160. I was even considering the Boulder 1060 for MSRP $22K which still has enough power for a medium efficiency speaker. Someone on this thread is happy with the 1160. Since the speaker is the major determinant of sound and therefore where more of your money should be spent instead of on ancillary components, you ought to consider what I think may be the best dynamic speaker at any price--Tekton Design Moab with all Be tweeters for a whopping $14K. Unbelievable--follow the thread by millercarbon on the TD Moab, and see my posts there. Klh007 has provided a lot of great insight there. Nobody other than the designer has heard the Be version. You could be the first! At $14K, there is little risk. This speaker would give you everything you want. I will see how good the latest GTA planar magnetic ribbon speaker is for $25K. With either the Moab or the GTA, you won't need much power.
As a doctor, even though you never sought me as your doctor, I say you are right that although many patients come to see me after they have researched things, they come to see me for my experience and judgment because I have read the internet also. Just like audio journalism, medical research is often biased, so I always ask other doctors I know about their firsthand experiences. Your listening experiences are as valid as my medical experiences.
However, I have sympathy and concern about your feverish audio pursuits that can create financial ruin and emotional distress. I just point out a few examples of a big audio industry myth that has misled you (not your fault). That is, the most expensive flagship of a product line MUST be better than the lower models. You loved the Colosseum, and assumed that the flagship and newer Mephisto must be better. As of now, you are unhappy with the Mephisto, and I hope you can correct this situation. Next, you considered the Sim 860 V2 to be an outstanding amp in both absolute performance and value. You have NO basis for thinking the flagship 888 MUST be better, just because it is more expensive and powerful. After you hear it, that is another story. And I already noted how the more powerful and expensive Bryston 4B SST2 was inferior to my Bryston 2.5B SST2 for clarity. I won't be surprised if the less expensive and powerful Gryphon Essence is better in clarity than the Mephisto.
It just seems strange that it has never happened that when you got an amp, you had such high expectations which were then dashed when the reality of listening kicked in. It is not because the Mephisto is an intolerant race car that can only be driven by a trained professional driver. The Merrill is also a high performance machine, but it sounds good with any ancillary components.
Certainly, sell the HD preamp and Momentum S250 amp. They are overpriced euphonic pieces, and you are done with them. Do you still have the Christine preamp? If not, the ARC ref 6SE is a great preamp. Make room for the Boulder 2160. I was even considering the Boulder 1060 for MSRP $22K which still has enough power for a medium efficiency speaker. Someone on this thread is happy with the 1160. Since the speaker is the major determinant of sound and therefore where more of your money should be spent instead of on ancillary components, you ought to consider what I think may be the best dynamic speaker at any price--Tekton Design Moab with all Be tweeters for a whopping $14K. Unbelievable--follow the thread by millercarbon on the TD Moab, and see my posts there. Klh007 has provided a lot of great insight there. Nobody other than the designer has heard the Be version. You could be the first! At $14K, there is little risk. This speaker would give you everything you want. I will see how good the latest GTA planar magnetic ribbon speaker is for $25K. With either the Moab or the GTA, you won't need much power.