Richard,

I want to tell you a story about how system matching is MUCH more important then cost of equipment.

I recently set up in my store a "reference" system to show my customers what could be had for some serious dollars. Using a pair of Usher AC-10's ($8000-a pair) powered by a Pass Labs X250 250 watt/channel amplifier ($6000-) along with a Pass Labx X1 pre-amplifier ($5900-) and an Audiomecca Mephisto IIX CD player ($6800-) I set out to truly blow away my customers. With a total of approximately $27,000- worth of equipment and an additional $4000- in wire, power conditioners and accessories I did just that, I blew away my customers. Unfortunately I blew them away with how much you can spend to get mediocre sound. Good dynamics and coherence, accurate, but a soundstage as flat as a board and a soft as day old ice cream. Something wasn't right. The Usher's HATED the Pass gear.

On a whim (and immense curiosity) I swapped out the CD player for an Audio Refinement CD complete (1/6th the cost of the Audiomecca) and the X1 and X250 for, you guessed it, the $900- Sophia Electric Baby amp. The result was nothing short of breathtaking. The speakers needed at least a 50% turn on the volume knob to do it, but the music appeared. Although a subtle dynamic degradation occurred (hey, it's ONLY 10 watt's!!!) the soundstage exploded in every direction. I could have gotten up and danced with the performers since I could pin point exactly where each one was. And the sound improved more as the Baby warmed up and broke in.

Now the AC-10's are an 87dB sensitivity speaker whose impedance (fortunately) never goes below 6 ohms but they are, by no means, an ideal match (or even a good match for that matter) for a 10 watt/channel S.E.T. Music Baby tube amp. In fact, the amplifier is smaller in size then one driver in the AC-10's.