Well, since it's discontentment time (summer usually is for me with regard to audio) I'm trying all sorts of things. When the heat came on, I finally had to turn off the tubes, at least the amps. The C/J pre is not that hot, and for all its muscle, the Rotel runs cool also.
But here is where the frikkin Nelson Passage began. With a Nakamichi surround receiver. A friend's friend had recently gone AWOL on his former life and more or less burned all his bridges. He gave my friend his storage locker key and said he could have, sell, give away or toss all his earthly possession. He asked me if I wanted to look at any of it. I said any books or electronics and suddenly found my garage full of stuff. My library became impossible, or rather more impossible than it already was at this point. The only electronics that came along with the books was a Nakamichi AV3-S receiver. I let it sit there for a long time. Then out of curiosity I tried it one day and found it was kinda nice. In fact, surprisingly nice. It was a hot day so I left it up.
Then I learn from my main DIY pal that Threshold had licensed out the Pass Stasis amp design to Nakamichi. Evidently some of this remains to even the later surround receivers. I did a bunch of web searching and found out a lot about Nakamichi (the man, the company, the board game) and soon enough landed on things like the PA-7 amp, the PA-5, etc., and from there all over the midfi realm, touching on everything Mr. Zen had had a hand in,finally arriving at the Adcom GFA-5 -- series. This is why I jumped at the new GFA-555 tribute amp ... WHICH, as it turns out (again chez my main DIY man) is based on the GFA-555 II, meaning it has moved very far from the old Nelson Pass into overpriced midfi crap. Meaning very bad customer service from someone reading a script who is looking out the window at Conradian rain forests, pagodas, or Manila gangster fronts replete with stretch limos and guys with cello cases. Like that.
Round and round. Is this familiar?
So, then I wind up on Audionervosa, maybe where I should have started in the first place, considering how much helpful advice and what an education I'm receiving here! Hi, guys! Where were we?