DMC30 s2

[ack]

You misunderstand me. I use the wisdom of crowds only to narrow down the list of stuff I audition in my own system. I then decide based on listening whether I agree with the crowd or not and decide to sell or keep. I have owned pieces highly acclaimed by "the crowd" for less than 48 hours because my ears did not agree with the crowd (Pass Labs XP-10 preamp, ADA Reference Mach IV and others). Everyone narrows down their shortlist based on some 2nd hand source of information, be it the crowd, reviewers, dealers, audio buddies or some trusted guru. No one tries out stuff completely randomly. The Oppo is the only example I can think of where I have no desire to try out a bunch of other players at the same pricepoint, because there is a fairly broad consensus it is the undisputed price / performance / feature leader.

OK I understand your perspective... Still, I would highly recommend talking to a Spectral dealer, and it may be an eye-opener for you in what they can do for you. After all, there are only three in the US that can carry the "RS" line, and they are all amazing. If Goodwin's is your "local" Spectral dealer, you are probably talking to the creme of the crop. I actually just got off the phone with them, and they have even kept my crates and are willing to help me ship my amps (I am about to take my ad down). There are so many privileges to be had when it comes to working with a great dealer that you may be missing out - even if it's a simple "do keep me in mind when X thing comes up in your store". Do keep in mind, though, that special pricing on Spectral is not one of them.