Do all tube preamps leak DC?

atmasphere, thats a remarkable statement and it makes sense as well. If this is true then the reviewer over at 6 moons is full of it.

Thanks Erick, the Audible illusions L1 has four dip switches that can be turn off four caps on the output. Audible Illusions recommends for better sonics and after the preamp breaks in to keep them caps (dip swithes) in the off position. Would this further open the possibility for DC leakage?

Stereo5, yes I do see your concern with too much gain and although Audible Illusions did provide a way to reduce the overall gain on the L1 that provision was not afforded to the M3a (still is a spectacular sounding preamp in its own right though).

Thank you Erik & paul79 for your input, I'm feeling better with this combination already. Although 6 Moons considers the Job 225 has set very high standards & his first listening tests with a tube preamp was one of the cons as he was getting some crackling sound which suggested that there was some DC leakage and quickly switched to a ss preamp. He also thought  Job should consider DC servos in the future to correct this. This is why I was somewhat concerned.

Erik, cap upgrades, maybe Mundorf.

Steroeo5, I'm willing to bet that even though the M3a has no gain adjustment, it is probably more detailed because the sound travels through less pots.

Hello Keith, I'm going to call you anyway, we have some catching up to do, Paul.

Hi Keith, I believe you are correct about Ralph & would agree that he is very knowledgeable. It is nice to know that we have people like him to provide reliable info on most given subjects (questions) but you are also in the "A" Class, an asset to the audio community and a hell of a good guy to boot.

Keith yes, although this particular Audible Illusions L1 is factory refurbished, I removed the top cover after I received it to inspect the tubes. There are two large caps near the output and four smaller Panasonic caps next to those. According to the manual the four dip switches are there to turn off the four smaller Panasonic cap only leaving those two bigger caps remaining in the signal path. At this point I feel very confident based on what I have read here on this thread, that I don't need to be concerned about DC and would like to thank all those that participated!