Erick Lichte's laudable new mission to do something for the 99%, as he put it, seems to me to underscore the fact that Stereophile hasn't recommended a class C or D pre-amp in years -- and currently has no recommended class-D power amps. I know, integrated amps are the fashion for the lower-price end of things now, but for me, going to separates was a significant rite of passage into our hobby. And the least expensive recommended preamp/power amp pair (ignoring the Lightspeed passive preamp, which is really too odd a duck for someone getting into separates for the first time) would set you back around 4 grand.
So, maybe you guys could poke around and see whether there isn't something, to put it bluntly, cheap in those categories that's worth your attention.
Erick Lichte's laudable new mission to do something for the 99%, as he put it, seems to me to underscore the fact that Stereophile hasn't recommended a class C or D pre-amp in years -- and currently has no recommended class-D power amps. I know, integrated amps are the fashion for the lower-price end of things now, but for me, going to separates was a significant rite of passage into our hobby. And the least expensive recommended preamp/power amp pair (ignoring the Lightspeed passive preamp, which is really too odd a duck for someone getting into separates for the first time) would set you back around 4 grand.
So, maybe you guys could poke around and see whether there isn't something, to put it bluntly, cheap in those categories that's worth your attention.