Getting off chairs for a moment, I returned the AVD C70ES to Crutchfield that I had because it was running very warm and the 3000 was the same price ($695.95) and it adds dual power supplies and an IEC connector for power, increased amplifier power, newer generation S-Master chip technology at the sacrifice of the onboard disk player.
The first 3000 unit I received had to be returned immediately as it went into protection mode and shut itself down, even w/ nothing but a power cord attached to it. Oade Bros.were great throughout this and checked the replacement before sending it. It now has about 75-80 hours on it and I still not heard any evidence of the hiss reported on this site. Thank God for that. I have a Sony SCD CE775 SACD player w/ the full SACD MODS package inc. transformer connected to the 5.1 inputs on the 3000 w/ Bolder M80 and diycable.com Superlative IC's. Also have the toslink digital connected on this but in a-b'ing the analog input w/ the digtal which should should be superior (less D to A , A to D conversions). I can't tell the difference.
The management menus are so rich that I've only scratched the surface of what this thing is capable of. I am using the onboard phono section and I am enthusiastic so far. Discovered how to get my sub into the mix because it refused to run it on speaker level inputs so now it is on line level even in stereo.
The sound quality is still changing but the overall level of detail and bass control is top flite. The sound stage is deep but not overly wide, maybe it will widen. Instrument and voice timbre is just so-so at this point. Either I am used to hearing a forward upper mid-range or this one is slightly recessed. Cymbals are too bright for my taste but that may change. I am still learning how to get the most from this piece.
I keep pushing up the volume and am rewarded with more stuff on recordings that I am very familiar with, that I never heard before.. Anyway the good news is - no hiss.
