No actually I did not get the flip flops as Dicks didn't have the Hello Kitty pair I was looking for, only Mossy Oak. Now if I could score a pair of those Honey Bee slaps with the built in Maxwell Smart headphones I may be swayed from the Hello Kittys'. Just saying.
I have been using two Onkyo receivers (TX-NR809 and TX -SR806) for the past four years as preamps on two systems. One is connected to an Emotiva XPA 2, amp, connected to a pair of Aperion Verus Grands and a Verus grand center speaker in the living room. The other is connected to a B&K ST-202 driving a pair of Aperion Verus Grand bookshelf speakers in my office. I know, how about a little diversity in the speaker arena Phil!. The Aperions are great sounding speakers and affordable.
Now I have been fairly happy with the current systems but always wanted a good preamp. The night I hooked the C1 up to the B&K in my office, I grinned from ear to ear. Luckily my wife was gone to visit kids and grandkids in Hawaii for a few weeks so I had the chance to hook it up to both systems and I cannot believe what I have been missing. I also threw all the combos I could come up with using the Onkyo amp and preamp. I have always like the sound of the ST-202 and the C1 makes it sound even better. One note: Do not refer to the size of the capacitors in the ST-202 with your brother on the phone and your SO in the room as a "nice giant pair of cans".
So I am very excited to get the M500 repaired and upgrade the C1. I have limited soldiering skills but have worked as a "Field Service Engineer" for the past 11 years fixing laboratory analyzers so I know a little. My backgound is in the laboratory and I get by repairing my TVs when caps go bad, but I am hesitant to attempt a complete rebuild as many of you have done.
I used to drive a lot for my job so I would stop in every thrift shop and garage sale looking for audio gear. I love the old silver front receivers I grew up with in the 60s and 70s. It's nice to finally score something decent. I did pick up a Stromberg Carlson ASR-444 tube amp at a thrift store for $40. It was in great shaped but decided it was too much for me to tackle so I eBayed it so someone who could rebuild it correctly. I kept the Wagner cast iron skillet I also bought that day. A man has priorities.
Thanks again for the warm welcomes and I will be reading all I can on here. Here is the shiny Onk gear since everyone seems to like pictures! Kawiphil