Photon, I must say your post was one of the best and most informative,I've read. You covered a lot of ground. Excellent!!
What would be considered Tops in Digital Amps?
One of the issues that I previously hadn't taken into account for upgrading my pre/amps was the issue of power consumption that Class A amps cause vs. a digital amp. From comparison tables I've seen produced on AA operational cost of Class A amp could be in the up to $1000-$1500 range, whereas digital amp can "cost" in power consumption about $100-$250 annually.
With these ongoing "cost of operation" issues for amplification power, what would be considered TOPS in the digital amp series (Bel Canto, PS Audio, etc) for close to equivalent sound quality to the best of Class A amps?
Lastly, with using digital amps, does that make a big difference in the type of preamp that a person would have to consider?
With these ongoing "cost of operation" issues for amplification power, what would be considered TOPS in the digital amp series (Bel Canto, PS Audio, etc) for close to equivalent sound quality to the best of Class A amps?
Lastly, with using digital amps, does that make a big difference in the type of preamp that a person would have to consider?