The 380S is one of the best line preamps ever made, I include tubes in that mix. I owned a lot and know for 4 years I have kept the same preamp and I even sent my 333 to Mark Levisnon for the upgrade to the 333.5 and that is also a first for me.
I have owned Krell, Audio Research, Rowland etc. When it gets this good and you gain experience, you know you have it right, now I just play with speaker cables, interconnetcts and power cords and I getting done with that also, good is good. Now I enjoy the music.
By the way some older systems using older equipment sound as good or if not better then a lot of the newer equipment today. Remember an ad is to get you to buy something new always looking for perfection, sorry it does not exsist, only in live music, but then you have the sound of the club, hall or arena....oh well!
Speakers have improved that to computer design and the blur between good solid state and tubes have become every close to where it is a matter of taste.
Use you ear, find a good dealer and go to live theater and listen and enjoy the music.
I have owned Krell, Audio Research, Rowland etc. When it gets this good and you gain experience, you know you have it right, now I just play with speaker cables, interconnetcts and power cords and I getting done with that also, good is good. Now I enjoy the music.
By the way some older systems using older equipment sound as good or if not better then a lot of the newer equipment today. Remember an ad is to get you to buy something new always looking for perfection, sorry it does not exsist, only in live music, but then you have the sound of the club, hall or arena....oh well!
Speakers have improved that to computer design and the blur between good solid state and tubes have become every close to where it is a matter of taste.
Use you ear, find a good dealer and go to live theater and listen and enjoy the music.