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@Receiver2000 Imagine sitting here and looking out on this view. in the background is playing this music,

Wow. Thank you. This is such a great forum to hear stuff that you would never hear on your own. That is some inspirational listening. Listened to it on my phone when i had a break in my work. Very nice. Makes me wonder how realistic that would sound on my system? Need to explore that. Thanks again for the introduction.

When I first got interested in audio, the looks of the gear and the sound is what caught my attention. When I was able to afford nice gear (brand name), my ear is still what drove my choice to purchase. Did I look at the specs, sure. Did they matter that much, not really. My ears and the looks of the gear is what drove the purchase. I appreciate Bob's ideas and designs, I like the looks, and the sound....well that's why I own them. Now, as I am older (61), the nostalgia adds a factor to the decision. As with tube amps, Bob's Black Magic 25 with KT120 tubes is the best sounding tube amp I have heard. I like the tube sound better than solid state and I have listened to solid state most of my life. And do I need to mention looks......grin. So, for me, since I can afford it, I would rather have a quality sounding piece of gear that looks great instead of something cheap. Price is not the driver for me, it's value that determines the dollars spent.

I would like to add an observation about a policy that I try to follow. It is pretty general. When asked, you can comment diplomatically and still make the point. Moreover, it makes less sense to criticize that which cannot be changed, such as a person's height. The clothes that they choose to wear gives latitude however. Yes, this applies elsewhere, especially when asked. "How would you like your amp sir?" "Bottles or sand?" Jim, I have a former friend who had good intention but a poor way of expressing himself. Or was he just playing a game? You see, he could be diplomatic, but he also was the master of left-handed compliments. Sorry, I must make clear that I am not referring to what has been said in this thread (so why post here? It hit a nerve). In my former friend's case, he seemed to think that I didn't know the difference. I am the first to admit that I am way too sensitive, and it is my loss more often than one might think. Especially when you make a product and then put it out there for all to see. You will hear BS both ways. Some will cheer it on like high school cheerleaders. Others will throw stones as if it were to be a poor attempt just because it is different (genius). Still others may give their honest opinion diplomatically.

One thing the military teaches (or at least, taught) is this: Praise in public, criticize in private. The “mainstream” audio press follows this rule. They have to, their lives depend on it. To explain - when I have read negative comments made regarding a product, they include mention of the reviewer reaching out to the manufacturer for clarification and/or even another copy of the product to test. They give the product’s manufacturer an opportunity to rectify the reviewer’s negative findings. This is fair. It is also rather rare in my experience, but it happens and is dealt with fairly. ASR (and others) don’t appear to understand this. At least I have seen no evidence of it in my admittedly small exposure to them. Because they do not (seem to) contact anyone for clarification, their integrity is compromised in my eyes. I would also consider their followers’ integrity compromised as well. This seems to be common everywhere on the internet. Folks being incognito behind a false persona makes it easy to lash out with little to no consequence. Maybe it strokes their ego. Maybe they are completely unaware. But they do leave their mark on someone somewhere. In conclusion, I really do enjoy the sound of the current Carver products. I’ve had the fortune to spend many hours listening to each of them. No matter what the SINAD says….😎