Plinius P8 - opinions...

[Boombox]

Does anyone own one of these? Please post your views on the P8.

Will a $3500 amp expose a $3000 hi-fi...(CD/pre-amp/speakers combined)?

[Burke Strickland]

Will a $3500 amp expose a $3000 hi-fi...(CD/pre-amp/speakers combined)?

Expose it how? Give it bird flu? Show its private parts? Entice it to perform wicked rituals? :>)

While some may argue that an expensive amp will make the rest of the system "unlistenable", since the rest of the system's previously hidden faults will now allegedly be hideously revealed, what a really good amp will do is produce cleaner sound and probably give the system greater (more dynamic) headroom. If the rest of the components are functioning properly, the resulting sound should still be at least somewhat pleaseing, even though the rest of the components are probably not able to match the detail and resolution of the amp.

The real question then, is why "waste" a great amp on a middle-of-the-road rest-of-system? It doesn't make sense to spend that much on one component so out of proportion to the rest of the system if that is your last/only contemplated upgrade. But if it is the first in a series of planned upgrades to the whole system, and you've found a good deal on this amp and it is all you can afford to upgrade at the moment, it makes perfect sense.

Better to step up to the level you want to attain one component at a time when you can afford another one than to continually throw money at small incremental "improvements" by replacing every component at once with gear only slightly better than what it replaced. Ultimately, by taking it step at a time, you will have the "ultimate" system, while still being able to buy groceries in the mean time.

Burke

[David Meek]

Yeah. What Burke said.

A better amp won't be a bad thing. It'll give you an increase in performance that'll probably whet your appetite to upgrade other components to match it's level of performance. As far as the P8 itself is concerned, I can't help with an A/B review, sorry.

[Boombox]

...But if it is the first in a series of planned upgrades to the whole system, and you've found a good deal on this amp and it is all you can afford to upgrade at the moment, it makes perfect sense....

This is the situation at the moment! I was given an excellent deal on one of these.....however, still out of my reach, unless I sell my laptop and my old hi-fi....then I just might make it...

...Better to step up to the level you want to attain one component at a time when you can afford another one than to continually throw money at small incremental "improvements" by replacing every component at once with gear only slightly better than what it replaced. Ultimately, by taking it step at a time, you will have the "ultimate" system, while still being able to buy groceries in the mean time...

I like your approach.....