After a year of pursuing preamps to replace my aging conrad-johnson, I chose the Minimax. In a head to head comparison with the Hovland 100 (new) and a used Audible Illusions 3A, the Minimax won handily. I've done some tube rolling, replaced the stock 6X4 with some NOS, tried several 12AX7s, and placed an E80CC in the 12AU7 spot (highly recommended!) - this was the final straw, it sounded so sweet I returned the Hovland, sold the 3A, and am ecstatically happy with the Minimax. It would be nice to have a tape out, but really, who cares? This sounds so good I can't imagine how much you'de have to spend to better it.
IMHO.
IMHO.