Bluemike,
The thing weighs nearly 70 lbs. and there are very good reasons as to why it is high gain, so it would be easier just to fiddle with the preamp. My listening room is very small and I feel that in a larger space the 11db of gain on my Joule Electra and the D-225 will work nicely together. Just not in an 11 x 13 room that has a brick fireplace and plaster walls. To be honest, a bit more attention to room treatments could help too, but I still want to evaluate passive preamps first before I go there. With furniture, my stand, and the equipment there is just not that much space (bear in mind it is a 400 sq. ft. studio). I don't have a digital camera, but if you email Brian Weitzel he took a few pictures of it. It is not pretty by any means but is built like a tank.
Email me if you like and I will give you Brian's contact information so you can call him directly. My D-225 was his amp, the prototype, that was brought up to production spec prior to my taking delivery. He is also the one responsible for the solid state line, although the design is still mainly done by Paul Weitzel and many of the components, like the chokes and transformers, are custom designed to his specs.
