$10K, what should I get?

[n_maher]

dude let me borrow your beta22 for a review for my new forum plz. thx.

Sure, just paypal me the shipping, $1000 should cover it.

[earwicker7]

i just find their reviews to be bad, in the modern era, anyway, because they absolutely fawn over everything.

Well, I agree with part of what you're saying. They do tend to fawn over everything. I do believe that there is a rational reason for this, which is that they only publish reviews of stuff that is good enough to fawn over. My gut feeling is that 90% of the stuff they actually listen to never gets put in print, period. Do you really want them to take up three or four pages with a review of the newest Pioneer rig that sells over at Wal-Mart? There is a reason it's called "Stereophile," not "Stereo." There seems to be a feeling on this website that those guys basically get an amp or two a month, and when they feel like it they listen to it for half an hour or so between bouts of drinking. My roommate from college works for the Chicago Tribune, so I know something about the way print media works. If they are like any other magazine, listening to music is ALL they do 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I don't think you can compare one of us, who does listen to the occasional amp between bouts of drinking, with someone who sits in front of a desk being paid to listen to music for YEARS. Let's face it, it's really easy to write internet reviews, anyone with a keyboard and time to kill can do it as there is zero peer review, no chance of loosing your job when you write a bad review. Hell, for all I know, some people might even write a review of something they've never heard just so that they can be the first to get 1,000 posts; the internet is weird like that--just try internet dating and you'll see what I mean, it's amazing how a woman gains 100 pounds and loses three teeth in person. The guys at Stereophile were actually picked out of a pile of probably two or three thousand resumes because they are acknowledged by their peers as professionals.

[JBLoudG20]

Me thinks you should be on head-fi asking this instead of here.

[earwicker7]

Me thinks you should be on head-fi asking this instead of here.

Ok, you're wanting me to leave because I have my own opinion? Kind of insecure, aren't we?

[909]

or it could be the other way around

that is the opinion you hold isn't your own.

insecurity isn't thinking for one's self.

He wasn't asking you to leave, but making a point.

[Dusty Chalk]

There seems to be a feeling on this website that those guys basically get an amp or two a month, and when they feel like it they listen to it for half an hour or so between bouts of drinking.

No-one said that, don't put words in our mouths. You know, you pride yourself on thinking for yourself, yet that's exactly the opposite of what you're doing. You're brainwashing yourself into defending this amp without even having heard it yet. And that's what everyone else has done. Which is why you see so many positive comments about it. If you've listened to more than one other amp in your life (although I have to admit, you picked a good one to start with), I'd listen to more of what you have to say, but for now I'm just going to take what you say with one seriously motherfucking giant grain of salt.

Just get it already, listen to it, then decide whether or not it's any good. That's the only way. But read some of the comments here about how he handles returns. You won't get that sort of feedback on Head-Fi.

[JBLoudG20]

909 hit it right on the head. You come in here, asking for our informed opinions.. then tell us that we don't actually know anyhting because head-fi and stereophile don't agree with us. (I use 'us' because many people here share similar opinions about gear, especially when it comes to amplifiers)

The beauty of this place, is there isn't marketing hype, uninformed opinion, or alterior motives. you will get a clean, clear, relatively unbiased opinion about gear. You WIL NOT get that from sterophile. You think they really care about the accurateness of the review? It's all about the bottom line, and giving a product a poor review will likely mean less revenue from advertisement.

Also in this game you get VERY biased opinion from the uninformed. At head-fi, newbs run rampant. They don't knwo what is going on, and they are fed the load of 'hey RSA and ALO will give you the bes sound ever'. they go drop $1000 on this gear, and convince themselves it is good. Is it? Hell they may think so, but that doesn't mean that my $60 PINT doesn't run circles around the Hornet all day long. But they spent what $350 on the hornet? They aren't going to sit there and say, "yeah this PINT is so much better". After spending that kind of cash, they will defend it to the death. IIRC there was a thread on there (might have been started by Filburt, which is why its likely gone) saying exactly that: the hornet isnt good and much better can be had for less. It turned into a shit show because of all the fanboys. Of course JUDE came along to clean things up and restore Ray's reputation so noone would be the wiser.

I suggested you go to head-fi because you seem to want to believe the masses, not the actual truth. If you take that to heart and want to leave, hey be my guest. I am only suggesting that you objectively look at this hobby for YOURSELF.

And if you do decide to leave, take this parting gift:

A B52 killer can fairly easily be built for less than $1000.

[Dusty Chalk]

Ok, you're wanting me to leave because I have my own opinion? Kind of insecure, aren't we?

What? You don't have your own opinion, you haven't even heard it yet. You specifically said that you are regurgitating others' opinions.

And yes, I am kind of secure in the knowledge of that.

[philodox]

And if you do decide to leave, take this parting gift:

A B52 killer can fairly easily be built for less than $1000.

True that... I'm going home to one tonight.

[granodemostasa]

you guys should just let him buy the RSA amp... it actually sounds good to a tube person like me.. better than that gold plated Maestro XLR actually (meet impressions of course, same music/source and headphone).

that being said, 10K would be great with... Teac DV60> dynamight (headphone amp and pre)>Firstwatt F1> K1000

i could also go for some DV60>zana deux> Qualia...

[aerius]

Regarding Stereophile. The Stereophile of the last 10 years or so writes better ad copy than the advertisers themselves. The Toronto Reference Library has Stereophile issues going back several decades, I've read through many of them while killing time between classes back when I was in university. The best issues, bar none, were the ones where J. Gordon Holt was the owner and chief editor, since the mid 80's when John Atkinson took over as the editor things have gone downhill, with the worst damage taking place in the last 10 years or so.

Let's put it this way, in the Recommended Components list they have more components in Class A+ (so good they had to invent a category above Class A) than they do in Class D (entry level). I flipped through literally pages of Class A gear before coming across maybe 3 or so Class D components. That should tell you something about the honesty & integrity of the magazine. If you honestly believe that dozens of components of each type (speakers, amps, sources) can be rated as Class A, ie. state of the art, best that there is, then you're on crack. What Stereophile does is analogous to handing out 100 gold medals in every event in the Olympics. That's just fucking bullshit.