i couldnt find A$$A the last time i went looking for it, so i'm assuming they are defunct. as such the following issues contain the full interview with Ken.
the quotes i provided here from Ken were originally published in the Afforable$$Audio e-zine about 5 years ago, so they may have additional accuracy when viewed from the context of that era.
never heard of Joseph King, link?
i've always thought of AH as a step up from Hafler, and not really a hi-end name, but i could be wrong of course. the modded unit in the link may be something special, but i've always seen the stock AH pre's in the $150 range on the used market.
as long as he's not getting serious with the set-up, a single volume control should yield as decent a result as the individual amps allow for. yes, matching gain between amps is optimal, but just being close in this regard can be very enjoyable.
i had a 5590 in my possession once...
only picked it up locally to ship to the buyer in San Diego. it was my first major packing job.
i also have a Luxman R-117 that my daughter uses in her rig, which replaced a next-to-TOTL Yamaha CR-2020 receiver that needs attention.
ok, but how much are you willing to pay for wire to achieve thoses differences in sound (in your example soundstage, but it could be any other aspect as well)? in addition to a solid connection, cable construction needs to be factored in as well. i think these two factors have much more to do...
dismissing cables is not a popular sentiment in many corners. once i posted elsewhere that no wire can improve the sound, it only has the potential to change (change = degradation) the sound. i found the ensuing howls of derision to be hilarious, but noted that no one attempted to refute the...