You have my sympathies Adrian, I hope it's resolved for you soon.
Sound quality seems to be the absolute bottom line for audio enthusiasts, with good reason. But I think other factors such as reliability, availability and cost of parts, and serviceability should perhaps be given more attention.
Wouldn't it be great if there was some kind of directory of products which could provide this information? At least something that would name and shame the high-cost horror stories. As long as the contributions came from users, and the facts backed by documented evidence, would there be a problem legally?
And in the interest of balance, the 'good guys' could be named too...
I just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in
T/T: Inspire Monarch, X200 tonearm, Ortofon Quintet Blue. Phono: Project Tube Box CD: Marantz CD6006 (UK Edition); Amp: Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated.
Speakers: Zu Omen Def, REL T9i subwoofer. Cables: Atlas Equator interconnects, Atlas Hyper 3.0 speaker cables
T'other system:
Echo Dot, Amptastic Mini One,Arcam A75 integrated, Celestion 5's, BK XLS-200 DF
A/V:
LG 55" OLED, Panasonic Blu Ray, Sony a/v amp, MA Radius speakers, REL Storm sub
Forget the past, it's gone. And don't worry about the future, it doesn't exist. There is only NOW.
KICKSTARTER: ENABLING SCAMMERS SINCE 2009