Sir Quack, I agree with you on the use of a ground isolator. Every time I have used one, it seems to take some of the color out of the sound. If I have to, I will go to a cheater plug, but I'd like to use it as a last resort. I'd rather not defeat the safety ground unless I absolutely have to.

John, to clarify what I meant by "worked as advertised" is that the amp did indeed produce sound. Yet the sound was weak and intermittent. Yes it produced sound, but it was in no way impressive, nor made me feel good about the coin I laid out for it. Once the issues were sorted out, I uncorked a bottle of my favorite American Double Imperial IPA. I can't say the wife is impressed, but then again, she's very rarely impressed when it comes to my electronic toys. My next project is to build or buy a tube amp to be dedicated to the M80s when I'm listening to my favorite jazz and blues albums. It's something I've missed since I was a kid listening to the Grand Old Opry on my old mans tube amp system. There's just something about the richness of the sound that only a tube amp can produce. Maybe it's just nostalgia coloring my view, but it sure would be nice if Axiom started building tube amps (hint....hint).

Very good, Don; enjoy. And yeah, it's just nostalgia, not technology.

IronHorse, you just opened the door to AV heaven.
i'm so glad for you. :-)