Hi. I auditioned Pathos Classic Mk III yesterday and really liked what I heard (on Devore Gibbons). I even preferred it to VTL IT-85 in some music (i.e. indie rock & electronica, although VTL was just toooo good on solo piano & vocals).

So: do you have any other hybrid integrateds to recommend for me? I feel uneasy going with the Pathos w/o other points of reference. I hear marvelous things about Vincent SV236, for example. So please please please flood this thread w/ recommendations and strong opinions on this matter. I'd be thrilled.

I've always loved music but I've never been much of an audiophile... right now I have a Sony STR D390 receiver attached to a pair of Radio Shack Realistic NOVA-18 speakers. (The speakers do have new Dayton drivers installed though). So, pretty low end stuff.

So went into the store, a complete novice that I am. A bit nervous, remembering all the horrible stories I read about SBS in this forum. But what can I say? I had a blast. The salesperson - Mike - was totally nice. Didn't try to upsell. He left me in the room, told me he would come back in 10, but thoughtfully left me in there for 20-30. In all, I spent 3 hours, just listening to pure music.

I just bought a pair of speakers that are 6 ohms. My amplifier has a barrier strip with 4, 8, and 16 ohms. Which output terminal on the amp should I connect to? Also, the speakers have two inputs--high and low frequency for a bi-wired connection. What's that all about? Do I need four speaker wires? Can I drive these speakers with a single amplifier and a single wire (1 pair) connection?

Sorry to be such a newbie!!!

Any advice is greatly appreciated ;-)

Jim

I would like to pair a tube preamp & a ss power amp with Paradigm Studio 100 v.4 speakers to create a detailed, yet musical sound without being overly warm. (I generally listen to jazz - both vocals & instrumentals). The Rogue Perseus tube preamp & the Rotel 1080 ss power amp that I auditioned seemed to move the sound in the direction that I liked.

Since I do not have any brand allegiance, are there other preamp/power amp combinations that you might recommend?

Thank you for your help.