Quote Originally Posted by Ajani
I get your basic point and agree, but I need to make one clarification:

A large number of Emotiva owners also have/had Rotel amps and find the Emotiva to be equal or slightly better than Rotel/other midfi gear... So the Emotiva/B&W combo Pix has probably sounds quite good (for the price)...

However, I agree that it would be great for him to actually try some tubes/more expensive SS instead of just tossing around theory grenades...
Some more "expensive" solid state gear might be nice, but won't necessarily improve things
just because it cost more.
I bought the EMOTIVA because I was leery of them, and they had a sale, and 250 bucks
is kind of hard to pass up for an amp with such specs. Turns out they made believers
outta me. I have always been one of those who think amps, outside of a few quality
areas, are pretty much generic. The Emotiva pushes the electrons down the pipe
with consistent quality and effort. THEY HAVE converted me from critic to loyal customer,
in other words.
And I WILL NEVER own tube gear. OR A HORSE AND CARRIAGE.
Or a gramophone, or a b&w 13" tv. OR SPATS. Or a top hat. Tubes distort sound,
its their nature, its a fundamental feature of their construction, and if you could get rid
of the distortion, they would sound like solid state. So why?