Modern Linestages

A lot of very interesting comments above. Manufacturers charge what the market will bear; too much and they go belly-up; not enough and they don't have the resources to survive tough times and develop new products. I esp. liked Uru975's comment:

If simplicity also meant inexpensive it would be nice. All to often something that is very simply made, almost elegant, is a work of extreme craftsmanship.

Whoever actually wrote the line attributed to Twain- "I'm sorry this letter is so lengthy but I didn't have time to write a shorter one" knew what he or she were talking about it. It is certainly easier to put a bandaid on a problem (more parts, more complex circuit) than is is to design the problem out of the product. Simplicity is the "ne plus ultra" of any design or creation. It should be as simple as possible in order to achieve the designer's intent; no simpler and most certainly no more complex..

I don';t know anything about circuit design, so I can't comment on Rhyno's statement, but regardless of whether or not a line stage has an easy job, IME, the pre-amp is the heart of any system. One of the most important things to get right. I will also say that the three pre-amps I have enjoyed the most are a VAC Ren MK2, a Doshi Alaap, and a Lightspeed Attenuator (OK, OK, not exactly a line stage but functionally equivalent) which in terms of list price cover a range of about 20X.

I am still only slightly foolish when it comes to cables and power cords

As for me: cables- slightly foolish
power cords- more than slightly foolish...

just how stiff a power supply does a line stage need?

I have zero knowledge about circuit design but I do not think that that is the case.

Just to make my earlier post more clear, I meant that I believe that with active line stages, a well-designed, well-implemented power supply is a VERY important element. I am told (no knowledge in this area) the actual circuit can be very simple. Assuming that is the case, then I think that the power supply becomes the critical variable.

Lately I've been dividing my attention between Irene and this thread. One is a phenomena that is wreaking havoc, upsetting people and causing a lot of anxiety. The other is a hurricane.

LOL- Great adaptation of the classic lawyer joke!