I have a now 4 yr old Oink AVR. It was their totl when I bought it. The HDMI circuits never worked consistently. It was always cool with the TV, but often couldn't recognize any other units plugged into HDMI ports.
Chris (Lampshade) found web info about a patch to fix it @ an auth sev ctr. A year earlier, I'd have had to ship it to Rochester, but a new auth rep place opened 50 miles away.
They did it overnight and it cost $125. (Well, that and 200 miles worth of driving.)
It worked great---for about 2 months. Then, the entire HDMI board STB. Another $125 for labor and $425 for the new (redesigned) board. Why'd I do it?
Its orig list (I paid way less) was $2400. It's current version was just under $3000 (18 months ago, +/-). It has great amps. I've liked every Oink (integrated 2-ch amps) I've ever owned since 1983. I have also paid way more for stuff that was better. Was it 5 time$ better? Bluntly, "No", but it did hold up for 30 years (w/ one repair in its 12th yr), which was longer than the company existed.
BTW, 18 months now w/ the new board and no problems. The original was fussy from day one.
And here's another reason; the video processor is noticeably better that the one in our Panny plasma, not by much, but we did miss it when Ms. Oink was in the shop.
I could not have replaced it, at the time, recon'd, for less than around $2k, if I remember correctly. My M100's are very, very happy with my decision to have kept it.
Good luck with whatever you decide, Matt.
Your friend,
Dumbass
