Hidden GEMS

Musical Design has some great products at very reasonable prices. Also do mods on hafler, adcom, etc. Just got a platinum amp and I am stunned. Don't see how you could do better even on the used market. WWW.musicaldesign.com

I don't know how "hidden" the following names are, but they certainly qualify as gems:
George Wright - http://www.wright-sound.com/
Ron Welborne - http://www.welbornelabs.com/
I have found equipment from the above to be an absolute joy at their price point.

Electronic Visionary Systems(www.tweakaudio.com). Ric Schultz uses the best parts available and, even more important, knows how to put them together. A good example is his Millennium DAC--it's got about $500 worth of premium parts(which he freely discloses) and would probably sell for around $3000 or more if made by an established company with high overhead and advertising expenses, but Ric sells it for $1050. He doesn't do any advertising and gets all his business through word of mouth, and he can't make the DACs fast enough. If you haven't already done so, I strongy encourage you to check out Ric's website which clearly states his mission and philosophy about audio products and the future of audio. In this day and age his absolute honesty, passion, and sincerity are refreshing. By the way, I've been using his DAC for over a year and am continually amazed at what this product does for my system and the music.

Tim

merlin; joule-electra; both of these mfg use the best componets in their gear. i second the rogue at its price point. i am sure there are many more. these i am familiar with.

jim

Kora - All of their products are close to state of the art at reasonable prices, which will soon be going up. If you are into tubes check them out. They are cosmetically attractive as well.