Total rebuild of the system, I've settled on the components listed above.
The Classe CP-35 with the Arcam Delta 120.2 produces a warm sound which really suits my musical taste (classical).
The Mark Levinson No.36s DAC was a surprising find on my local used market. An excellent DAC, both my PC and DVD player are hooked up to it. Since all my music is stored on the PC in FLAC lossless format, the Levinson enables my PC to act as a convenient transport.
I'm absolutely loving the Totem Hawks combined with the sealed Energy S12.3, even the most demanding orchestral pieces sounds detailed from top of the frequency range to bottom.
New pictures are coming, as soon as I move into my new place early January.
Totem Hawks, these sounded absolutely amazing when I auditioned them with a Simaudio I-7
Levinson No 36s
Awesome DAC despite its age.
Classe CP-35
This is an old preamp, but I really do enjoy its sound combined with the Arcam.
Arcam Delta 120.2
The warm sound of this little dual mono amp really won me over. Capable of pushing 150+wpc into 4ohms, more than enough power to make the hawks really sing.
Pioneer DV-45A
A decent DVD player and universal player (plays DVD-A and SACD). I occasionally use it to play some CD's.
Energy S12.3
Surprisingly good cheap 12" powered sub from Energy. I used a pair of foam plugs to seal the 2 bottom ports, really seems to help the quality of the bass.
If you're looking at the MA7000, then you should definitely consider the PASS INT-150, which is what I currently have. I heard the MA6900, not the 7000, but I think the pass is a better amp for what I'm looking for. It's a phenomenal piece of equipment which I can say more about if you're interested. It may be over $3000 used though, and since it's new may not come up much. If you're willing to spend $3000 then you should definitely check out the Sim i-7. I thought this was a great amp and something I could be happy with for a long time (I preferred the pass, however). They come up for around $3000.
If you listen to classical then you may want to try a YBA integrated or the sim i-5 with your Hawks. I've heard the i-5 with the hawks and was very impressed. I know a lot of people also like the Plinius 9200 with them as well, although I didn't love that amp when I had it with my Dali's. Nice system.
