My catch is that an amp like the TEAC would need some form of volume pot (to avoid accidentally killing my XRS with an input device set to max volume), which jacks the price another $150 at least (for a cheapie passive preamp). Initially, this is why I'm trying to look at integrateds in this price range.
If I had any electronics DIY experience (which I don't) I'm sure I could fab up a simple, decent passive volume pot for pretty cheap - hell I could do it on a piece of wood. Is this worth considering? I'm a DIY'er in other areas (home improvement, woodworking, bicycle mechanics) - would this little "input-volume pot-output" project be a worthwhile effort?
Since nobody's bitten on the Rega Brio or Dared MP5 queries, am I to assume those are not valid options?
Finally, I have an opportunity to get a modded basic (volume pot removed and new caps/connectors) Clari-T for a decent price - similar to the modded TEAC (I wont mention names!). Although it is beyond my original limit, I could probably swing the DIY volume pot job and have RWA driven Omegas. aa
Hmmmmm, it sounds like I've just made up my mind.
Does this sound like a good way to go?
Thanks,
Michael