Aloha!! I am the guy!! Let me explain. My evil plan originally was to sell my T7 SLR to
finance a T8 or Ultra. Wasn't sure which yet. I sold it and shipped it and headed to my sister's
surprise 50th birthday party in CT. Along the way, I detoured 10 miles to Spearit
Sound in Northampton, MA and picked up a refurbished NAD C162 preamp for what I intended
to be temporary (6-8 week) use. However, after a few hours of listening, it became clear
that the C162 is not so bad. The phono section is so good it is hard to believe. The headphone
performance is just fine. Sadly (?), because I have children who do lots of homework, etc.,
most of my listening is done using headphones. So I have decided that the 550, although
really great, is overkill. I'm intending to get a refurbished C272 amp. The reason I have such
great feedback, and in frightening quantities, is that I tend to get bipolar about hifi stuff.
And whatever my mood, I always pack carefully and ship promptly. Hope I am not banished
from the AVA circle for this. I might want to go back to AVA equip. after the kids are out of the house,
if I can still hear OK. Actually, if I don't get a decent offer for the amp, and the C162 starts to bug
me, I might go for the Ultra or T8 preamp anyway. What the heck.
