Brand preference and opinions

It is hard to shop like that because, as high end cars are a finished complete product, the amp is just one piece of the puzzle and being top shelf alone does not mean it will perform good. I have heard very expensive amps and speakers sound terrible together (Lexicon and B&W) Synergy is just as important as the product itself. Some gear, no matter how expensive, just does not sound right.

If you have the set of speakers that you are set on keeping, that do everything you think is right, try testing different amps until you find the one that works the best. Speakers can be forward, laid back, image tall, short, focused wide, laid back, bright etc... you need to find the amp that will match your speakers signiture the best. Be patient and it will come. What type of speakers are you using?
Steel

Pawlowski, tell us what you really think.
But to try to answer, if I had unlimited funds to spend on audio gear, which I don't, and wanted to buy a show piece amp I'd go for the Rowland Concerto integrated amp. That amp is just sexy.

The sad part is Shsu isn't the only one that buys gear this way. There are many that only look at certain brands ..how it sounds comes second! LOL

This IMHO is ridiculous. Those IMO are want to be audiophiles or music lovers. The foundation of this hobby is listening. If you can't do that.. no need to bother with the rest.

As one poster has said "good luck"..cuz you're sure going to need it brother!

gmood, you're right. Why I wasted my time with that post is beyond me. Saturday enui, I suppose

:)

I don't think that Shsu's approach is all that different than what many of the posters in this forum actually do. Just re-read some of the answers to different forum topics here ... who won't buy anything made in China, who will only buy brands that can be resold in 30 days for what he paid, who will not buy anything that is from a mid-fi brand (as defined by price, not performance). There is a good deal of audio snobbery here.

With the shrinking number of audio dealers in many places, the ease of purchasing over the internet, the amount of information easily available about a lot of components, and the reality that most audio equipment is rarely pure crap (or at least to 99.99% of the population) ... is purchasing a well respected, luxury brand name all that crazy an approach?

What might be crazy is buying something sight unseen and sound unheard. But if you buy an accepted brand, you can always resell it. Hell, that's mostly what goes on here.

I am in this hobby for close to 40 years now and I know that there is no substitution for listening and being open to switching around components (it is a hobby after all), but enough people over the years have looked down their noses at the pedigree of my systems. One of the nicest sounding bedroom systems that I ever owned was comprised (all new prices) of a $130 Technics receiver, $120 Pioneer CD player, and $150 Bose 101 speakers (the original butt ugly wedge shaped enclosures made for outdoor use) with Radio Shack cables. The system had a sense of air around the instruments and a soundstage that few would believe.

Regards, Rich