If you had $2000 to upgrade this system...

Drummer - Thanks for your input but really haven't forgotten the room. Have spent a lot of time experimenting with speaker placement trying to optimize in an admittedly not ideal room. Also, see comments to Mapman. Will likely get more serious about "store bought" acoustic treatment if/when I move into a larger listening area. Am hoping to incorporate acoustic prep during the actual rennovation of that space.

FWIW - just pulled the trigger on a HEED QUASAR phono pre-amp.

Thanks for the update. Please let us know how it works out. Inquiring minds want to know. ;)

Bob

Rsimms - I certainly will though I'll only be able provide a comparison to the Lehmann BC I've been using. I did contact Dodd and Gary was very responsive. At this time, I decided to stay with solid state. I'm already running tubed pre-amp and tubed mono-blocks (something like 17 tubes). I didn't feel like dealing with more. So that's why I went HEED though other SS candidates were F-117 Night Hawk and Musical Surroundings Phenonmenon Nova. Hopeing the HEED sounds good right out of the box. Ciao.

I have shipped the Heed Quasar demo phono-stage back to Overture in Wilmington, DE. They have ordered me a new unit for purchase. I don't have all the "audiophile lingo" down but relative to the Lehmann BC which I liked very much (and still do) the Heed is more neutral with bassthat seems extended (to my ear) by another octave (some hyperbole here). On listening for the first time, however, I thought the Heed was bass shy (while extending deeper, lower frequencies were not necessarily louder than the Lehmann). The Lehmann seems a little warmer but I suspect that is due to frequency response deviation from neutral on the part of the Lehmann which might also explain the differences in how bass sounds. Plus my Lehmann is way old and I have no idea how aging solid state components affect sonics. It has been my experience that on first listening, upgrades often come across as brighter and more detailed. Over time as my ear becomes acclimated (or as equipment settles in) this initial impression of "brightness" gives way to a sense of greater musicality. The Heed is definitely more resolving with wider (and deeper) soundstage than the Lehmann. I think I now also understand what people mean when they use the descriptor, "articulate bass". In addition, on loud, complex passages the music from the Heed seems clearer. I'm hearing details I did not hear before. I really like this phono-stage. I've been listening to mostly vinyl since I got it. I'll keep the Lehmann as a back up. Hope this is of some use to the A'gon. community.