Quote Originally Posted by drmorgan
,.. I will not post brand comments or complaints about gear I've not owned.
You already have.

"Alas the '70's to '80's were, from my experience when the best of the best had been invented and introduced. Since then it more about spin than sound reproduction. Tubes were left behind for a reason (the wear, unlike solid state)."

Tube gear has not been left behind. Even for McIntosh. You have no idea how much better the following amps are vs. 70s Mac stuff.

Audio Research REF 610T

VTL Siegfried

McIntosh MC 2301

Having heard various Bozaks and 70s vintage McIntosh gear (including their current top of the line system having toured their factory in Binghamton), yours is most certainly a satisfyingly musical system. Unlike most SS amps of that vintage from companies like Crown and BGW, their sound was smooth and not edgy. The Bozaks have a fine balance, if not restricted bandwidth. Their sins are largely of omission. Having said that, there is a substantially higher level of resolution available today. The best speakers are more coherent, phase linear and have lower distortion. There are many reasons why there are zero companies today who use 3" cone tweeters (at least in statement products). They lack extension, dispersion and have much higher distortion. There is a reason why there are zero companies who use side-by-side arrays of tweeters and midranges. Are you familiar with the effect known as "comb filtering"? Image specificity suffers.

Engineering has progressed greatly since those classics were developed. Just like virtually every other technology. I've heard a most spectacular review system of a reviewer friend who uses those VTL amps driving Scaena line array speakers. Along with EMM Labs digital front end and Nordost Odin cabling. There is no comparison for those who have experienced both.

rw