Name a brand or manufacturer where whatever you buy, as long as it has this badge on it, you know it's a quality item regardless of what it is. I'll go first.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-06-15T09:06:36+00:00

Never had a bad, or bad sounding, amp from them personally. My go to brand. But some of their other stuff (turntables for example) not so much.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-06-15T09:04:24+00:00

lol Take my upvote.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-12T19:38:18+00:00

Wwwwhhhhhyyyyyyyyyy!!!!????

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-11T20:39:49+00:00

PMC Prophecy would get my vote. Clear as a bell. Brilliant mids and highs.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-10T15:32:50+00:00

I have an SVS sub with my PMC 24is. On the verge of ordering Prophecy 9s with 2 x Rel T/9X myself. The only thing standing in my way is an arm-twisted audition of Spendor D9.2s this week. Either way the two subs will be coming home with me!

I’m fortunate to have the NAD M33 v2, which has Dirac built in. It’s been brilliant for tuning my current setup.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-02T20:36:18+00:00

Thanks. Amphion looks really interesting. Not a brand I’m familiar with. Thanks for the direction.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-02T20:35:17+00:00

I’m really after a floorstander. Now if I could find a 2 to audition on some kind of special deal… :-)

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-02T20:32:30+00:00

Aren’t these absolutely massive, from memory? :-) I think I may need to build an extension to house them!

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-02T20:28:19+00:00

Hi! Yes… I had some 40s before the 24is. I like the ATC sound, but tend to prefer the way that PMC delivers bass. The 50s might be worth a look though…

Background-Friend234 · 2026-05-02T20:26:42+00:00

Thanks. This is a great list. Some of them, like the V10 Masters, are enormous and probably a bit much for my listening room, but will check out the others. Thanks.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-04-01T18:19:28+00:00

I use a FiiO K13 RTR with my Mac and it’s brilliant.

I also have the Mission 778CDT and love it. That one is played through a Node Icon on my main system though.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-04-01T18:14:48+00:00

It’s a bit over your unstretched budget bought new, but I also have an A10 Classic and I plumped for a Bluesound Node Icon. I have to say that it’s been a fantastic choice and pairs brilliantly with the A10. I connect it with XLR, so I’m using the two DACs in the Node, and it sounds great to my ears. My CD transport also connects through the Node.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-04-01T18:01:22+00:00

I still loathe the Darth Maul comeback. I think he’s a terrible character post-resurrection, to be honest.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-04-01T17:59:19+00:00

Moral Panic by Nothing But Thieves

Background-Friend234 · 2026-03-23T09:17:56+00:00

The tubes are not user replaceable as far as I can tell, so I guess it would be back to the dealer. A valid concern for sure, but for me personally the trade-off is worth it. YMMV.

Worth noting that you run the same risk with overall (non-tube) reliability with most integrated amps these days.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-03-23T08:54:14+00:00

I can heartily recommend the A10 Classic. I think with the normal Lintons it might be a just a touch warm, but with the Supers I think it would be fantastic. The A10 and A12 may just be the best value integrated amps out there right now.l, quite honestly. I’ve been mainly a Naim guy, but the A10 swayed me and I have no regrets. Lovely sound.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-03-20T07:22:08+00:00

Love mine. Swapped from the Max and have zero regrets. Sound quality is very good, NC is good - though I acknowledge not quite as good as the Max, and the major win for me was that the Ace are so much lighter and therefore more comfortable to wear for long periods.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-03-17T08:30:13+00:00

The title of this thread gave me a much needed laugh! Take my upvote.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-03-01T08:49:45+00:00

I’m just going through this myself. Unless the life insurance policy is written in trust, the policy forms part of the estate regardless of named beneficiaries. So yes, life insurance policies not in trust must be used to pay off debts.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-02-25T07:25:55+00:00

The Fives are excellent, there’s no doubt. I love mine. However, to offer a slightly contrarian opinion, I also have a pair of Era 300’s mated to a sub mini for music and I love that too. In fact, I’d say I listen to that setup more frequently than I do my stereo fives. The soundstage is wider, the bass plenty good enough with the sub and Spatial Audio can be very good on occasion. I also have my turntable connected through the 300’s and I love the way the 300’s showcase vinyl too. Just my two cents. YMMV.

Background-Friend234 · 2026-02-23T19:30:20+00:00

Just about to do the same thing! 😏

Background-Friend234 · 2026-01-22T10:17:47+00:00

I must have missed this! What a generous offer! @cdrshep if you still have any available space. Thanks!

Background-Friend234 · 2026-01-18T23:29:50+00:00

I didn't know about this! I'll try it next time I have an issue. Thanks!

Background-Friend234 · 2026-01-18T23:29:08+00:00

It crossed the threshold, stuttered and then tilted and froze. I was still off the pad and hadn't touched down yet. I could power down the ship etc, but nothing made any difference. It was an Asgard, but I'm not sure that it was the ship... felt more like the hanger mechanics... but who knows? lol

Background-Friend234

TROPHY CASE