JohnnyB53. Audiogon keeps assuring me that they will soon install off-line e-mail contact with "thread" responders, like the good old days before furniture and camera ads appeared in the margins. The set-up now sucks.....Nevertheless, to answer your question. Red Dragons M-500 are very good for the money, so I don't have a particular clawing complaint. I have caught the upgrade bug again, and just assume there is a "better" amp out there for my speakers and system. I have some minor quibbles: speaker connections on the amps are only spade lugs, held in place by a plastic bar and knurled knob that can be torqued tight. However, they will not accomodate banana plugs, or possibly bare wire a solder tip. The on/off switch is on the back of each amp which is not very accessible if you are using a component rack. I could keep the amps on all the time, but prefer not to. They are built well.
Sound wise, ONCE THEY BREAK IN, they provide good, neutral, detailed sound which (to me)is also somewhat tipped up, and bass is good but not outstanding.
I used Acoustic Zen Hologram 2 cable for 2 years, and there was no interfacing problem. The Dragons drive the AZ Adagios very well. Interestingly, I recently changed speaker cable because the fire hose girth of AZ cables was getting to be difficult to deal with. The cables now are less expensive Audio Art SC-5 which are remarkable sounding cables for the money, (but I still have not reached any final conclusion about them). They were pre-burned at the factory, and I don't have more than 20 hours on them, but the sound stage seems larger and the bass a tighter...BUT... there is fullness lacking in mids which Hologram 2 cable had in spades.
OK, so let me cut to the chase, some bloggers claim class "D" digital amps sound good but the listener is less drawn into the music which is less natural sounding compared to a class A amps, or "some" mega bucks amps.
So should I should buy into to that?? No!! and I don't, but nevertheless, I have seem enough testimonials about the sound quality and performance level of other amps to consider if there may be a better amp for my system. Many of us have been doing hi-end audio for years, or at least a percentage of years to be aware of hype, the law of diminsihing returns ratio to price, component interface and cable dilemmas, and room acoustics anomalies, and also "philes" who may just need ear wax removal and are not as golden ears as they like others to believe. Be that as it may, part of the fun of this hobby/obsession is making new musical discoveries that brings us deeper and closer to the music. Several threads would be needed to plummet the depth of the question of when you have reached the nirvana of sound. Let me just say, I could never reached the level of musical enjoyment and satisfaction without upgrading the system over the years, and trying different components. I hope this helps. Jim
