Good for you Xulonn. I feel that I am in the same situation you were in but you took action! I hope Iota gets good scientific objective review results. I am not as bold as you are. I do not have the money to buy and then not like it, decide to sell and then buy again so I am trying to move very cautiously.
My search for a decent amp pre amp is due to the speakers I own. I invested in my "bucket List" speakers - Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 EX. After I bought them, it dawned on me that I am running $1750.00 speakers on a $300.00 HK 3490 receiver! Not a bad amp but I should have better electronics to drive these speakers. PLus the HK is over 10 years old. I've had it for 8 years.
Your post reflects my inner turmoil regarding class A/B vs Class D. The problem I've had with Class D is that, across the board, subjective reviews always state that there is a thin sound in the upper mid range. Since I am buying for music primarily and then TV movies secondarily, I am put off by that report. Then I saw Amir's review of the Purifi 1ET400A and I thought I would be willing to get that but then there are so many confusing offerings surrounding these type of amps, I became frustrated. For some one like me who does not have the knowledge, I would not know if a particular offering contains an "Amp Connector board and optional gain stage of 13 dB"..... hugh? I am not a DIY person when it comes to this. So this is a put off for Class D. There is a similar put-together stereo amp on Ebay using the same modules and so I asked the seller if his version is similar or the same as what was reviewed here on ASF and three weeks later....no reply. WHAT!?! he doesn't want to sell what he listed??? whatever, move on to familiar class A/B. For me it's less risky.
Now it comes down to an offering that has enough power and neutrality of frequency to do justice for my speakers. So Iota seems like a good possibility. I looked into vintage but then there's that old capacitor issue. Most current ( puns not intended) SS offerings that have the pecs I want are going to run into the thousands. So Iota being the exception, Class D or Vintage became my best options.
I came very close to buying a vintage duel mono amp pre amp combo yesterday. These particular units have been completely upgraded re capped etc, with detailed documentation from the seller. I was on the phone with the seller yesterday about to buy it but put it off. While it seems to be a good option, I would need to improvise with a volume control remote- one on Amazon that rates well.
I like Vintage. I like new technology too with all its conveniences. I'm at a Y in the road. You know the saying...."When you come to the Y in the road, Take it!"
So at this point, I narrowed my choice to this Iota vs a restored vintage unit. If this unit was built today, I suppose it would run into the thousands.
