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I still have SMSL amps that are working just fine (SA-50, uses the TDA7492 chip) after 12+ years of use.

I'll check out cost of retipping via Expert Stylus! Thanks for the "tip." The website is pretty informative. The SoundSmith 20e cartridge is now $280, I see, it's up $30 in the past year.

I will say that the two components I have clearly had good build quality as they continue to function and have had 0 service needs - although the amp is showing some signs of age and I would not hook speakers up to it that I care about (I have some cheap baby KLHs that I use for "questionable"...

I guess I'm just a very easy person to please...I like all of my classical stuff for the most part, tapes, LPs or whatever.... The only CD mastering I ever really hated was "Born in the USA," the original Columbia CD sounded very harsh and brittle to me.

Size and power efficiency are to me, compelling factors. And simplicity of operation. Tone controls are still a good thing. Many of us use them rarely, but they still have a place, or a loudness contour for low level listening. If one is going to get a higher level integrated amp, nice to get...

"Prerecorded tape sounded horrible back when the format still was in demand. The only tapes the sounded good where your own recordings ." This is really not true. Many of the classical cassettes that I went off to college with in 1977 still sound very good. The Advent CR70 tapes from the mid...

Actually, as far as new tape production goes, the "fox" ferric tapes from Recording the Masters in France is pretty good and not terribly expensive. Not CrO2, but decent. I have used the :60s and made good recordings with Dolby. They make :90s now too, I believe. Type II and Type III tape are...

I think the low-end Yamaha is fine for power and features, but as for me, I like the little "just an amp" units from Fosi and Aiyima and I sure can not hear the modest amount of rise in treble with my speakers, especially since I only hear up to about 11.5khz now. This Yamaha or other low-cost...

360 Power Brick This does not seem to have the right end pin connector, though, correct? It would need to be rewired to a new plug?

Question: Do any of the industrial SMPS makers offer encased & fully wired products? I'm happy for now using the Fosi and Aiyima bricks as is, don't really want to build a case for a Meanwell (did enough of that with my cigar-box TPA3116 builds)...

I think the only "real" justification for a new, inexpensive cassette player in the $250-300 range (and the fairly low-fi sound that would go with that price point) is all the band tapes that are out there - a lot of local bands are recording cassette EPs if they can't afford vinyl (or don't...

My favorite "high value" speaker currently is the Elac Debut 2.0 6.2 - these are often available from others at a price lower than Crutchfield. Not sure if the bass would be enough for you, though. But they are good smaller speakers for the price and I find the bass satisfying. Or, these plus a...

Gosh, THX, frankly there are a ton of choices out there that would likely improve your sound a good deal. And a lot of speakers that will work ok with 100wpc certainly, if you want to keep your current amp. That's one system for a lot of years, and there are great cheap things out now that sound...

I love my Beogram 1700 turntable, but when my current cartridges wear out, the cheapest option is now $250 from SoundSmith. Not great. Fortunately it's in my basement system so I only use it on occasion. Love the styling, though. Plays well. My Beomaster 4000 receiver has some issues, but I...

Yeah, I am really not wanting to introduce tubes into my life. I would rather have one of my old basic preamps reworked with new components than get a new Schiit one with tubes. But I have no opposition to them adding a headphone jack!

Yeah, Brian, I was surprised when they (Schiit) pulled it. It checks all of my boxes apart from not having phono integrated. I may still get a used one if a similar device does not re-enter their lineup, or get done in some form by Fosi, SMSL or Aiyima. Alas, I just don't like the Emotiva's...

Yeah, this has gotten out of control, for sure. They aren't magic beans, for pete's sake.

I "admire" the Dragon...but it was/is way too complex a device for most people's needs. They take a lot of love to work perfectly. I like decks that sound good and don't need a s*** ton of care and feeding...

No, no, no, no. Just no.

I don't use balanced connections at all, so that functionality in the Kara is not worthwhile for me - and hence the price is out of line with my needs. What I would really like them to make is an all in one RCA preamp, just like the old Saga S, but with an optional card/slot for a phono pre...