Emotiva basx a2+ and JDS labs atom amp 2.

[Chrispy]

Just familiarity. I know based on going through this forum there's not much of a difference with modern amps, and my thought process might be a bit skewed from older class D amps. Really the only reason I originally didn't go for a buckeye amp was I didn't want to use RCA to XLR cables, and the 3 week wait time. But considering the kenwood cost $820 new in 1979, almost $4000 in 2026. I should just do it right and get the proper equipment.

Meh as to "familiarity". Must have been a long time ago for the class d amps to have left that impression. The cable works, but if you have an pre-amp with xlr pre-outs then you wouldn't need it otoh. It is indeed harder to find good techs to work on the older gear (almost impossible if you need to replace non-available boards), especially locally.