Boulder 1008 phono. Anyone hear it?

Has anyone heard this recently?

I'm trying to find out the technology for the RIAA Equalization, passive like the Allnics?

I have a tube pre-amp and amp so leaning towards a SS phonostage.

It has balanced inputs: how hard to rewire?

Mono switch is very good for the few mono records that I own.

I really like the fact that it has another set of balanced outputs to record lps; don't have to process it through the pre-amp.

Have very few records before 1955 so probably would not be using the different equalization curves very often.

Other ones I'm looking into are the AR Ref 2, The Allnic 3000, I have the Allnic 1500 and it is fabulous driving my DaVinci turntable, Soulution 750, the Ypsillon and Vitus SP101. For the last three I may be able to obtain sizable discounts to bring the prices more in line with the Boulder. Any comments on these? I think very few have been sold in the U.S. due to the substantial price markups.

It wasn't warm like tubes or limp solid state - it was more of a fast, powerful, solid presentation but really wide open sounding. Have you ever driven an AMG mercedes? I have warm speakers at home (ProAc), so a very warm sound would be bad. The best way I can think of to describe it is incredibly clean, like I could hear through the entire system to the LP itself, like there was nothing in the way.

Individual images had a very solid body and it wasn't wispy or anemic or "lightweight" sounding in the way you sometimes get with hyper-detailed systems. Tonally, it was the most neutral system I've heard in a long time, completely different from what I have at home. The frequency range and the overall tonal balance was natural. I could identify every instrument and none of the voices sounded chesty or congested. When I think of tonal problems, I always think of hi-hat cymbals sounding like little bursts of white noise and here they didn't. There was a guy there when I arrived who was listening to piano recordings and identifying the make of the piano in different recordings!

Bunces,

Was it warm at all? How was the body & tonality?

I heard it at a dealer in the LA area and took my copy of Aja. I've never hear the vocals as clean and separated, but it was a full Boulder rig through MAXX 3's and it may just be that I've never heard a system like that before. Amazing bass and speed.

Anyone have any info regarding this phono, have any of you yet heard it?

I'm looking for a phono for my set-up and this interest me.