From tubes to solid state. What do you loose...

Yes Asa, the Scinnies are better, thanks for asking. Some quantitatively, but much more qualitatively. The Scinnies are a speaker apart.

I might do the Supra by and by. I love tubes. Thanks to the huge power reserves of the 600 I can pedal the <1ohm Scinnies to full throttle. They have reaffirmed my belief that speaker choice is the apex from which to synchronize all other components.

Don't you ever worry about the rapidly diminishing store of NOS tubes? I know new sources pop up now and then, but prices are skyrocketing. I'm having a devil of a time finding my favorite tubes. Luckily I chanced on a huge untapped personal collection of all types of tubes, that are in the hands of a friend of mine now.

Muralman, you know, I think I have an idea what you like, and I do think you'd like the Supratek. In fact, I'd think you'd love it. It doesn't have that tubey sound like many tubed pre's. I love my Joule, but it wouldn't be for you because its soft on dynamics - which I don't like myself but, personally, can live with because of other things it does and because the system is synergized with it there. The Supratek is Very Dynamic and clean - but in a good way, not sterile, but liquid, but not lush either. If you like Pass, you would love a Supratek. If you didn't like it, besides, you could easily sell it for what you paid. The wait is a bitch to get one from Australia, but that's where the cycle is right now. Bottomline: I think you'd be very happy. Glad you like the Scintillas. I would like to hear what you say more on the differences. Lots of Apogee people out there, or former ones, so maybe a thread on that?

On NOS: yea, I do worry, but much less so on a pre/SS combo. The real problem comes in when you have to match outputs on an amp, and that's where you see people balancing the ups in sound vs. the downs in hassle and glad they don't have a tube amp anymore. I see their point; my Defy was a hassle. That's one of the reasons that I have the SE amps I do, because they only have 3 tubes apiece. In that sense, I fully understand someone going the tube pre/SS amp route. Actually, on the NOS for pre's you get pretty good at scouring ebay and it turns out to be easier than you would think. For instance, on the Supra, four matched sets would probably last you well over a decade. That's a $500 investment over ten years, and given the performance increase and time span, that's chicken feed in audiophile terms. Besides, you're a savvy guy with this stuff, so you would have no problem, really. And, I would guess, would probably end up enjoying yourself.

Asa, you got it:

http://audioworld.com/cgibin/sw/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number=1&SUBMIT=Go

Also, as a reviewer, you might find the next site interesting. It holds information on all the Apogees, including reviews, user systems, and specs:

http://208.51.252.167/reviews/scintillating_apogee_hifinews_sep1985.htm

All reviews were written at a time when there were no amps as powerful nor as advanced as the Pass 600. When fully powered the Scintilla looses the few negatives one reviewer noted.