In reference your last posting:
        I find your message sarcastic and insulting. You question my
integrity and my ability to honestly express myself in a public forum
based on differing opinion. I find that not only unconstructive to
the Echo and participants, but to date, out of character.
        I have cited my personal preferences in certain pieces of
equipment based on my experiences of listening to them. You have 
responded by suggesting I am on a Stereophile induced fantasy and
that what I cited and experienced in my home, on my system, cannot
possibly be true or accurate based on something you read somewhere,
heard somewhere or assumed. I did not notice you sitting next to
me in my listening room, nor any of your specs laying around, nor
ANY of the engineers from the Internet. Yet I have been accused
of either being untruthful or hallucinating, because you do not
agree that ANY amp can sound better than a Carver, nor NO speaker
wire can sound better than Monster Cable.
        I read Stereophile regularly. I also read The $ensible
Sound, Stereo Review, Audio and Home Theater Magazine. I read
the High End News Group on the Internet. But I base ALL my equipment
decisions based on my tastes, what I hear in MY listening room
and whether I get sufficient value for the amount to purchase
any particular item. Specs, magazine article and suggestions
from anyone here or on the Internet is used merely as a baseline
from which to begin listening.
        I have found two amps that sound better than my Carver.
I have found a speaker cable that sounds better than my Monster
Cable. Does this now mean I am illogical, untruthful, stupid
or turned communist? It simple means that something I tried
sounded better to me. It does not mean it will sound better
everywhere or anywhere. It means it sounds better to me in
my room. Nothing more or less! Can I still like Carver? Yes.
Can I enjoy speakers other than my present speakers? Yes. 
Do I need to keep my preferences and observations silent
for fear of being taken to task publically for hallucinating
over higher priced equipment? Evidently, I do.
        Putting together a combination Reference Audio system
and Home Theater system is an extremely difficult task. Most
of the reviewers/writers cannot agree on how to accomplish
this or for that matter if it is even possible. I am on such
a quest. In this quest I have decided to stay with one brand
of speakers for all channels AND subwoofer. These speakers
were designed with this in mind. Until now, the company advised
customers NOT to purchase their existing rear channel speakers
for Dolby Digital for fear of being disappointed. I found this
a refreshing approach to audio. They now have a rear channel
that DOES blend in the way it should for optimum, seamless
integration. If I now purchase this speaker am I now stupid
or unable to see the big picture because I have selected all
speakers from the same manufacturer? Yet you take shots at
be and make sarcastic remarks without knowing logic or reason
I make such a selection. The same attitude has been taken with 
the electronics side. 
        My equipment decisions only have to make sense to me.
They only have to sound great in my listening area. If I choose
to tell someone else of my good fortune in finding such a 
system, they can listen to me or not. But I hardly expected
a personal attack bringing my integrity into question.
        I have built several subwoofers, 2 way units and one
full range tower speaker from scratch. Some sounded good at
best, others sounded horrible. I was the first to admit it and 
had fun doing so. I enjoy a good laugh on myself, when I say
or do something stupid. It happens every day and as I get older
I imagine it will happen with more regularity. But this is the
first time I have taken a surprise public broadside volley over
my tastes and insults over my ability to hear differences in
equipment within my own listen room.
        Having all the answers, holding all these truths, and
tasked with making sure we all like exactly what you do must
be a tremendous responsibility. Likewise, your ability to read
between the lines of messages and sense personality changes
motivations and truthfulness, much less be able to discern
where (half the country away) a listening session has taken
place is indeed a skill I will never have. And if I ever feel
the need for such service or begin feeling good about 
something I personally like, I'll be sure to call on you.
        Of all people in the Echo, I would not have expected
this of you. You have always been level headed and forgiving
of misspelling, terrible grammer, mispoken name brands and specs,
and some downright outragious statements from trunk flappers.
You have tried to help those with questions from very basic
to complex. Why now would you take to personal attack over
something so insigificant? Were are not deciding the fate 
of our troops in Bosnia! We were talking about stereo amps
and speaker cables!
        Enough said.
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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