Study finds your Amplifier reveal your personality


Originally posted by [email protected] (A) on July 18, 2002 at 14:29:58 on AA:

Just in.

Studies by the Birmingham University of Psychology - primarily dealing with the correlation between motor vehicles and their owners` personalities have also revealed what appears to be startling conclusions concerning which brand of amplifier an individual purchases; obviously someone on the team has an interest in audio.

Here are the results, although due to time constraints I`ve had to do a little editing........

MARK LEVINSON (Solid State);
You have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. You lie a great deal. On the other hand you tend to be careless and impractical, causing you to make the same mistakes again and again. People think you are stupid.

KRELL (Solid State);
You have a vivid imagination and often think you are being followed by special agents. You have a minor influence over your associates and people resent you flaunting your power. You lack confidence and are generally a coward. Krell owners do terrible things to small animals.

Audio Research (Valves);
You are a pioneer and hold most people in contempt. You are quick tempered, scornful and impatient of people. You are not very nice.

PLINIUS (Solid State);
You are practical and persistent. You have a dogged determination and work like a bull. Most people think you are stubborn and bull-headed. You constantly praise your amplifier whenever possible. You are a communist.

MUSICAL FIDELITY (Solid State);
You are a quick and intelligent thinker. People like you a great deal. However, you are inclined to expect too much for too little. This means you are cheap. Musical Fidelity owners are known for committing incest.

ARCAM (Solid State);
You are sympathetic and understanding of other people`s problems. They think you are a sucker. You are always putting things off. That`s why you will never make anything of yourself. Most people out of work are Arcam owners.

MARANTZ (Solid State);
You consider yourself a born leader. Others think you are pushy. Most Marantz owners are bullies. You are vain and dislike honest criticism. Your arrogance disgusts people. Most Marantz owners are thieves. You have an embarrassing bowal complaint.

MARANTZ (Valves):
You are the logical type and hate disorder. This nit-picking is sickening your friends. You are cold, unemotional, and sometimes fall asleep when making love. Marantz (Valves) owners make good bus drivers.

COPLAND (Valves);
You are the artistic type and have difficulty with reality. Chances of monetary gain are excellent. Most female Copland owners are prostitutes. All Copland owners die of venereal disease.

MOTH (Solid State);
You are shrewd in business and cannot be trusted. You will achieve the pinnacle of success because of your total lack of ethics. Most Moth owners are murdered.

MERIDIAN (Solid State);
You are optimistic and enthusiastic. You have a reckless tendency to rely on luck since you lack talent. The majority of Meridian owners are drunks or dope fiends or both. People laugh at you a great deal. You remember their names and addresses.

QUAD (Solid State);
You are conservative and afraid of taking risks. You don`t do much of anything and are lazy. There has never been a Quad owner of any importance. Quad owners should avoid standing still too long before they take root and turn into trees.

Best Regards,
Chris Redmond.
atzen811
I am clean and pure.Some call me very transparent.
My bottom is a bit soft but smooth.
I can be very PASSive at times also.
Guess which amp I own.:~()
Chris:

I haven't laughed so hard at an A-gon post in a long time! I have a friend who owns some Musical Fidelity gear, and I can't wait to send this to him.

As a Bryston owner, I'd be interested to know about my hidden personality characteristics...

Best,

Scott C-
Luckily Wolcott is still unrecognized among the amplifier study groups. No one will know my secret, writing endless replies to posts at Audiogon and spending way too much time listening to music.
Albert:

I have to take a crack at this!!! As a Wolcott owner you have trouble coming to any sort of decision - you are wishy-washy. You frequently pee in the bathtub and your bedroom is filled from floor to ceiling with nerf balls. You like to put cats in the dryer and giggle maniacally when they come of of a hi-spin cycle and fall down.

I on the other hand own Blue Circle - I like to push the envelope by seeing how many quarters I can stick in my nose. if I had a tail I would chase it all a day, stopping only to chase the odd car and lick myself. I amuse myself by drilling holes in objects until they fall apart. I cheerfully eat liver.

Comments?

I think I am qualified to take this one :-)

CONRAD-JOHNSON (Tube):
You are the most magnificent example of human perfection ever to be etched in DNA. Possessing infallible taste and discernment in all things musical, the world beats a rhythmic path to the oracle of your system and collection. Conrad-Johnson owners never require Viagra, and give great post on internet sites. You will yet become a gen-u-wine Rock & Roll star before you die, even if it takes you a thousand years.
Luckily my amp is Simaudio......great post. I nearly hurt myself laughing.....
Nothing that I enjoy more than to "Jolida-the-way" to great sound for modest funds, so I guess that makes me an "audio-evangelist?" Hey, I've even picked up some converts to the Cause! Vive Le Revolution!
Communists from Australia ?

How about speakers?

VANDERSTEEN:
You wear cotton at all times and drive a '75 Chevy pickup that never breaks. You are not quite sure what a 'salad' is. You are rude to people on the phone.

AUDIOPHYSIC:
All fashion dilema's were solved once you saw 'Dieter' from sprockets. You drive a silver audi and shop at pottery barn.

Wilson:
'The outer limits' was your favorite television show. You've auto-shuffled Burmester III on the wadia for 18 month's now.

Magnepan:
You like to hide from your problems.

Martin-Logan:
You put them in front of the window & honestly believe that your wife does not notice them. Phenomena is your favorite movie.

Wisdom:
You've never been on a date.
Sonic Frontiers/Anthem:

Very well liked by most, yet have a way of rubbing people wrong. Will quickly blow a fuse in situations that call for calm, clear thought. Some of your most favorite things to do are watch porn, play billiards and the occasional first person shoot 'em ups. Never pass on the chance to stick your nose in someone's crotch or smoke the occasional illegal substance. All in all a good person, just looking for a small corner of happiness.
Esoxhntr, you're as hard on yourself as your post mates. Quarters up your nose? Must be a painful "change" for you.
Crap! I can't beleive this! I bought the wrong, and here all along I thought I liked it. I feel so stupid. Anybody want to buy my amp?
Nrchy:

If I buy your amp, can I be a communist? I've always wanted to be a communist and march and sing all the fun communist party songs. What kind of amp do you have comrade audiophile?

Mind you with all the self doubt you are expressing, you must be a....ROWLAND OWNER???
Aragon owners are too cheap to buy the Krell. Your imagination runs faster than your spin cycle and you know you are being followed. You are convinced that perfect paranoia is perfect awareness and so suspect everyone. You will never rise above being second in command at work or at home. You snoop through other people medicine cabinet when visiting and have worn transgender under garments.
Oh dear, I must have a multiple personality disorder. Now it has become a certainty! )-:
De--t--lo--f
P.S.: But we still enjoy the music. (-: (-: (-: (-:
Detlof, what do you do when the Classical personality cues up an LP and just as you get comfortable in your listening chair, the Rock and Roll personality pops into place?

Expecting the Rolling Stones, instead you get Schubert's Quartet in C Minor. Worse, in frustration you get up to correct the error and the Jazz personality takes over.

I would be interested in your music collection. I'll bet that only the first cut of each LP has any wear :^).
Albert LOL. Generally WE hold a meeting and vote. In a clinch, the chair, me, decides. So WE get by. As far as the music collection is concernend, you are not far off the mark. Only: generally LPs get played to the end, though Goldmund cuing is programmable and easy, but there are many ( too many) still waiting to be played. How's the house coming along? Cheers,
This is the funniest thread since Famous Quotes.

My stuff...
1) Atma Sphere(valve)
You are a person who seeks good value, honest to goodness quality, and pride of ownership. You value substance over style. Your diet is comprised of a high amount of white sugar. You distrust others, and are frequently prone to discuss various, unbelievable conspiracy theories. You lace every conversation of things bad with liberal use of the word, "they". You believe that cosmetics, and art in general, are a long time left wing plot for world domination.

2) Blue Circle(valve)
You are a person who seeks products off the beaten path. You work hard, and play hard. You have a fetish with anything stainless steel. As a child you buried your underwear in the neighbor's backyard. You are angered by people who wear red shoes. You are so anti - cat, you wear a shirt which on the front reads, "I had a cat once", and on the back reads, "It tasted like chicken".

3) Coincident(cable/loudspeaker)
You are a person who is truthful and hardworking. You are considered a kind, thoughtful person. You have a good sense of humor. You are prone to long rambling conversations. You have a habit of eating cherries or grapes, without paying for them, during supermarket shopping. As an adult, you were labeled borderline illiterate. Your father has always considered you a failure.

4) Jadis(valve)
You are an artistic person. You enjoy the finer things in life; good food, good wine, romance. You frequently have to convince everyone else that you are more intelligent than they are. You cheated on your driver's examination. You are resentful when your friends become successful. Your aunt was able to get you a deferrment in the Vietnam War due to the fact that she was having an affair with a local state senator. Your homosexual nephew twins are convinced that you are also gay.

5) Musical Fidelity(electronics/cable)
You are considered practical, intelligent, and logical. Your stepbrother always admired you, and regretted you were not "true" brothers. You are cheap. Of only average intelligence, you go out of your way to make people think you are smarter than you are. You smoke. You recycle dental floss by sterilizing it in a microwave oven, and reusing over the course of 270 days. You removed the emissions control devices on your 1975 Chevrolet Malibu, but "pass" your annual state safety/emission inspection by a friend whom you fix electronic equipment.
You are a CLASS E act. 'nough said.

DUNLAVY:
You are 'Dun' with your perfect speakers search. You and your speakers make a great pair, covering both extremes.
Esoxhntr, I first found out about the t - shirt at a Blue Circle owner's group meeting. It's one of those secret society kinds of things.

First, they feel you out. The initial step is that you must prove ownership of a Blue Circle product. I got past that checkpoint via my BC-3 preamp. So far, so good.

Next, you are invited to the "monthly get - togethers". They consist of people congregating at a senior member's home. There is always a lot of cheese. My biggest problem there was which variety of Swiss I preferred; Ementhaler or Gruyere. I can never decide, as I love them both. Believe it or not, this is a very critical stage in the initiation period. It is one of the determining factors in their decision. While I did score a lot of points via my obsession about cheese, I had been labeled indecisive by some due to waffling on the Ementhaler - Gruyere issue.

By the way, if you are ever in that situation, the answer is Ementhaler, the one everyone refers to as Swiss cheese(it has the holes).

I made up for this by virtue of my stainless steel infatuation. My kitchen countertop, backsplash, sink, and refrigerator. The drawer pulls on my bedroom furniture, and the bedroom mirror frame. I also have some electrical outlet covers. One member asked what I was going to do with the extra stainless steel in my garage. I told him it was scrap, leftover from the kitchen project. I think he kind of hinted that if I was ever going to just throw it out...

As there is always at least one hateful person in a group, a member who clearly distrusted me finally spoke up for the first time when he questioned why my kitchen cabinets were oak, as opposed to cherry. With spit coming from his mouth, he told me that a true Blue Circler opts for cherry over oak. It just matches better with the stainless.

I began to sweat, my mouth was open. I was about to tell him that I agree, but the cabinets were the original ones in my house. Built by Rutt, in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, 1.5 hours from my home. Real American craftmanship. Solid oak, natural finish, contemporary in design, like my tastes. And, like Blue Circle. That I could never replace them with something even half as good on my budget. But fortunately, I was saved by another, he just told the guy that my BC3 does have the cherry knobs, and questioned why he didn't remember. That took the heat off me. Whew!

I was finally accepted by perfectly cooking a Black Angus beef rib steak on a charcoal grill for one of the founders during the May meeting. His comments included that I could not possibly be a Communist.

At that point, the secret handshake was demonstrated to me. These people seemed weirder to me by the moment.

Later in the week, I received a call from two of the guys, who asked me to meet them at a Radio Shack to pick up a special part. They deflected my questioning of why they would didn't want to buy the resistor from Mouser by saying that he needed it today. I also mentioned there were 3 Radio Shacks closer to this one. I met them at the King of Prussia Mall, during our walk, we turned into one of those stores that sells stuff to Goth and punk kids. The owner was a member of the Blue Circle club!

They pointed to the shirt hanging on the wall, and told me about the shirt was required attire. And, while the price at the store was $14.99 for the public, he sold to members at his cost, $6.55 in lots of 100+.

I froze, I didn't want one. I mentioned that I couldn't really wear the shirt in public. People would mistake me as one who is cruel to animals(they definitely didn't like that comment). I ended up buying it just to appease them.

The rumblings started. There was talk.

At the NYC Stereophile HiFi Show I did not praise Gilbert Yeung for his handbag preamp and high heel amplifiers. When pressed, I mentioned that they were certainly unique, but that I thought the blue contained too much yellow. I explained that I sometimes used to formulate colors as a coatings chemist. More violet would make the shade more masculine and more "Blue Circle". One guy stormed away telling everyone, "I told you about him!"

The Audiogon thread discussing these ridiculous items only deepened their anger.

It was the final straw, the impetus for me being the one of the few people ever booted from the Group. I wasn't disappointed, I was relieved. I received a lot of calls over the next week or two. Some threats, mostly just silence on the other end of the line. One guy accused me of secretly using a CAT preamp in my main system. They are sworn to hatred to Convergent Audio Technology, they feel the company's acronym is meant to antogonize them.

But, I did receive one call from a member I didn't recognize, and wouldn't give me his name. He said that bad things were going on in the group, and he was worried. The cross - dressing, which was not revealed to me(the anti - cat shirt comes first) had gotten out of hand. He feared people at his place of employment would find out. He told me that I was lucky to not be in the group, to have been booted(especially, so early), and that he was trying to figure a way out for himself. We discussed him buying a Red Rose component as a means to the end. I told him the interconnect was really nice, pure silver, and only about $350, so it wouldn't cost him much to achieve his goal.

Other than another day or two of prank calls, that was the last of my dealings with these people. I have moved on with my life.
Trelja, your last post may qualify as the most creative in the history of Audiogon.

Tempts me to audition Blue Circle. However, I fear being invited to the secret club and watched intently by members as I am offered a large portion of baked cat.
Too funny Trelja...at least they didn't bring sheep into your home as is done with Carver (Sunfire) owners; they are just weird.

Keep the faith;)

m-
No, no, Trelja - this is very wrong. You obviously were recruited by the quasi-secret Blue Circle Society. "REAL" Blue Circle Secret Society (hereafter known as the BCSS) members are required to ritualistically dye their own anti-cat sentiment t-shirt (it MUST be a regulation Fruit Of The Loom product) at midnight on the night of a new moon. All BCSS members must create a unique design so that the BCSS t-shirt can only be identified by spectral analysis at a BCSS meeting.

Also, at a REAL BCSS meeting, cheese would never be mentioned (to mention dairy products even in passing is a severe rules infraction) unless as a descriptive reference to another audio product, most often KRELL. And cat is never, EVER served baked. Stir-fried and barbequed are the only acceptable methods of preparation, though a radical splinter faction is lobbying for a special deep-fried recipe. As a purist I am not in favour of this possible new addition.

There are no secret BCSS handshakes, BCSS members fear physical contact! It is undesirable to touch a person who has been in possible contact with certain audio equipment of a less expensive nature, and Blue Circle gear can be rendered less pure sounding by introducing molecules from any of the lesser brands such as Sony, Pioneer, JVC...I'm sure you get the picture.

Lastly, BCSS members would never have set up a meeting at a Radio Shack, unless they sent double-blind cutout drones, each of whom would be wearing a fez and named Mustafa. A Wal Mart would have been possible, but the preferred location would be a Winn-Dixie in front of the customer service area.

It is just as well that you were ejected from this group - I should warn you that no possible good can come from your association with these "pretend" BCSS members. They consistently exhibit undesirable behavioural characterisics and are suspected of introducing several moderately communicable diseases to the North American continent. I will write a full report to the BCSS executive council reporting this unauthorized activity and commending you for acting with great courage and moral fibre. Congratulations.

By the way - not that this is important - do you like liver???
Well, I do not like calf's liver. I must confess, I have never tried it. But, the sight of it makes me a bit sick. I really enjoy chicken liver, prepared in either the Italian - American(fried with bacon, onions, and green peppers or Jewish(chopped liver, from those great delis in NYC, NJ, and PA) manner. I don't understand why chopped liver is equated with things that are lousy. I didn't think I liked pork liver, until one day I read it on the list of ingredients on a liverwurst casing. As a child, I ate far too many liverwurst sandwiches. Always use mustard and onions.

By the way, NEVER read the list of ingredients on ANY meat product.

In Philadelphia, we enjoy a Pennsylvania Dutch(Amish) breakfast product called scrapple. Of the funnier ingredients listed are pig snouts. In this part of the country, when someone asks what is in scrapple, we just answer, "Everything but the squeal."

I had a high school teacher who never ate another hamburger after he got a job as a butcher. It was prior to the time where you would become a vegetarian after watching what actually goes on in a butcher shop. Let's just say that if you enjoy a nice cigar(or more accurately, a cheap one), you may just want to go grab a burger.

I do wonder if Gilbert Yeung is aware of the false group. They have clearly won over his trust, as evidenced at the NYC Show. Now that I think of it, the bag/pumps and blue they used ties in perfectly with the cross - dressing.

Wait! That's it!!!

They have succeeded! They have taken control of the company via their evil doings. It is this group of imposters who have distracted the creative minds at Blue Circle. Directed them to a path of self destruction.

It must be the reason behind the handbag preamp and high heel power amps. The change to the 6922 tubes in the new BC21.1 preamp, to get inline with the more upscale preamps, was just something to appease those who have seen the truth, and have tried to tell folks like Al Wiley and Gilbert. Although, it could be argued that the change from the 6SN7 moves the company further away from the masculine side. Hmmm, I need to think about this.

At the Show, Gilbert told me that Al Wiley was back in Innerkip when I asked. The inroads of this shadowy group must be great indeed.

Sheepishly, I have to admit that I really liked the cheese. I don't know what their source for Gruyere is, but you just cannot find something like that in the stores.

From the desciption, I would not want to get anywhere near the BCSS either.

Mdomnick, I am sure glad they didn't bring sheep. One question, how did things go in the days where Carver was still alive, but Bob was no longer running the show? There must have been a lot of infighting. Also, did people start a new counter - group when the enfant terible launched Sunfire? Was there bloodshed? Oh, one more. Are the sheep really just another joke played by Bob Carver on the lunatic fringe who think he, and only he, can build a good power amp? More cruel than Sonic Holography, the Silver 7T solid state monos, and Crutchfield...

Did I mention I miss the cheese?

Maybe one day I should offer up some tales of Polk. I don't want to go into too much detail; I have already become a bore in this thread. But, I will mention three things: Earth shoes, hair transplants, and lipstick. And, let's all give thanks that Mathew Polk can provide real wood for the cost of real vinyl.

Yes, the cheese was that good.

On a serious note, the opportunity for hilarity in this thread is unlimited. Let's not squander it. We know from this site that audiophiles are not as constipated as a lot of the high end dealers who have turned us off over the years. I implore you to challenge the feeble Fremer(saw him at the Show, he walked around like a real sourpuss - or is that just his look?) as the Clown Prince of Audio. Reading about him in his underwear in the current issue of Stereophile was the only funny thing I have come across about him. Will this month's "I am canceling my subscription..." batch of letters mention the latest Michael Fremer bootlick of Rockport? Stay tuned. We are not as boring as a Kalman Rubinson review, or as antiseptic an one from John Atkinson.
Albert, thanks for the compliments.

By the way, if you ever audition Blue Circle, do not bring up Convergent Audio Technology. Even if you have owned something from them in the past, if asked, deny it. Do not waver on this. And, make sure that you do not look away from them as you answer the question, which will be asked several times. You ARE being watched.

Blue Circle preamps invert phase. I think the reason is that there is one less gain stage. This gets compensated for at the speaker leads, you simply reverse them. The Blue Circle Group trick(I learned this after the secret handshake) is to actually reconnect the speaker leads in the normal way for anyone who has even the slightest affiliation with CAT. Secondly, they also have some very horrendous sounding source material(both CD and vinyl) which is brought out in these situations. And, the trump card is the Osborn speakers. Yes, the older generation, with the Focal Ti tweeters. The Osborn company logo is in older versions of the dictionary under the words bright, harsh, irritating, metallic, and shrill. The new tweeter was actually the reason for the new Webster's version. The speakers now sound great!

You will head for the hills. Believe me, when they get done with you, you may need a month just to enjoy your system again. Yes, the measures are extreme, but their hatred for CAT is on that level. If you see anyone in the store inserting silicone earplugs or moving speaker wires around, you now know what they are doing.

One, more thing. They will also ask you, "So, how do you think it compares to the CAT?" Be on guard, this is a trick. Your answer is, "I have no idea, I have never come across a CAT." And, "No, not even at a show."

Do not park in front of the store, or in the lot. Take a bus, if possible. Your license plate number is always recorded. It's for "future reference", whatever that means. Do not drive a Japanese, Korean, or Malaysian car, but a European car(other than French, Italian, or a Yugo - the thing about Communists, again) is OK. Mention that you like the Blue Circle styling, especially the soothing blue light(I won't go into THAT now), that it reminds you of the color of an old Ford you once owned. Very important, despite what real Ford people think, when the discussion goes in that direction, in your opinion, the 351 Windsor was better than the Cleveland. Something to do with the Blue Circle Canada thing.
Trelja, I heard a rumor. Are you able to confirm or deny?

Some time back, a closed meeting at Carver Audio was called to select a candidate to fill a high level upper management slot. Everyone was eager to agree with Bob on every topic, and when the conversation ridiculed other audio manufacturers, Bob Carver slipped in the story about the baked cat dinners by the Blue Circle Audio Group. He watched each face to be certain that there was a honest look of disgust. Thus Insuring in his own mind, there were no secret allies among them.

After much laughter, and close examination of each candidate, Bob decided to distance his group even further (especially from Jeff Rowland who is vegetarian), by hosting a dinner of prime quality half pound hamburgers and Beer.

A long limo drive into the country was decided upon, a visit to Bossie's Steak House, well know by many as THE prime beef and gourmet burger Mecca.

After traveling a long stretch of open country , Bob Carver ordered the driver to slow the limo. He then pointed to a poor sheep who had it's head trapped in the barb wire by the roadside. (This is perhaps how the story about the sheep at parties began.)

Jumping out of the limo, Bob climbed the fence and began to pull at the poor animal in an attempt to free it's head from the barb wire.

Suddenly he stopped, looked at the sheep and without a moments hesitation, arranged himself at the back of the sheep and dropped his pants.

Then he yelled to the occupants of the limo, "Hey, any of you executive candidates want in on this?"

The doors flung open and two candidates leaped from the limo, cleared the fence, knelt down beside the sheep and stuck their head through the fence.
Albert and Trelja:

You guys are too much! Any more of these anecdotes and there will be almost enough material for a National Audiophile Enquirer. I knew there was a reason that I never liked Carver.

Just for the record there was a meeting of the "REAL" BCSS this afternoon. The phony upstart BCSS is in the process of being neutralized. It is strongly suspected that the fake BCSS are really aliens from the Motari Nebula who are having severe trouble coping with the effects of the Earth's atmosphere and the depletion of the ozone layer. This is a very new development, so please do not spread the news too widely. Neither cat, nor liver, nor cheese were served at the post meeting brunch.
I have heard rumor that you have to bring 3 days old donuts to those BCSS meeting, is that ture?
Blue Circle ~ Red Square?...hmmm...they do have socialized medicine up there...and what's the deal with those wooden knobs?...
Might BCSS guys begin to sweat profusely when they are shown a Queen of Hearts?
Albert, I cannot confirm the rumors regarding Carver. I am the opposite coast, and news is slow to arrive in these parts. A couple of questions about Carver, if I may. Is it true he is able to make any of his lackeys feel exactly like that sheep that was stuck in the fence? And, was John Atkinson able to confirm it via measurement?

Do you remember the ads that Bob Carver used to write in the zenith of his company, circa 1984? He used to spin a yarn about a 2000 watt amp clipping while recreating the sound of a scissors snip. I know, I know, everyone uses that for equipment evaluations.

Well, he kind of went on to say this was the reason he needed to build such high wattage amps. He needed more power than that paltry 2000 watter.

I guess he was recording the castrations of his management during their initiations. No, you cannot be too careful about capturing the moment. And, I guess you can never have too much power either.

Bossie's certainly sounds like my kind of place.

I have to thank you for the Jeff Rowland explanation. Now I know why they have that one new wave rock CD at their shows,
The Smiths "Meat Is Murder". It always seemed out of place next to all the classical stuff.
I am now having trouble seeing that line between reality and BS...oh well, it's still funny as sh*t. I especially like the Execs that dropped their pants and stuck thier heads in the fence...that's just too funny. I always suspected there was something strange going on at Carver Corp. Do you think they hold regular 'meetings' with Monster's Noel Lee? If so, what would be served?
Jealouse:

NAD stands for No Appreciable Disorders. So far you are relatively healthy - but beware!!! I started with NAD about 20 years ago, and have become a serious audio mess since then. I am afriad that you are destined for darker times, especially if you like Ementhaler cheese, liver, or apparently sheep.
I know someone who just got a huge Plinius SA 250 and recently listened to his system. He is a communist, and he should be put away for a long time. While he is picking up bars of soap we can all sleep better and I can make sure that no other Marxists get their hands on the amp. I do not have Plinius envy.