Musical Concepts Chameleon Preamp

I purchased my Musical Concepts Chameleon preamp 3 months ago. I already had purchased their Musical Design 100 hybrid amplifier in March of 2011. I was looking for a less solid state sound. This year I also purchased a 300b amp which was very nice, but a bit too tubey. I decided to purchase the Chameleon as it seemed the logical choice to mate with their hybrid amp.

I am very happy with it. I haven't had much experience with preamps, but I love the soundstage and the timbre of its sound. It is very natural sounding to me, and musical. I agree with the above comment that it doesn't have as much air in the treble as I would like to have, but with all things in audio, and life, there are trade offs. In the future I may try some of the other 7 daughter boards. Really, what other preamp out there gives you such flexibility. It was made for we audiophiles!

To date, I find the 12B4 board the most consistent with respect to soundstage development. In particular, the board is quite neutral to my ear and it lacks an earmark personality, a trait I consider important. I feel I'm hearing a more neutral honest presentation of all genres of music. Consider my listening experiences with the preamp are always at John's shop/studio listening room with may combinations of Musical Design amplifiers and an occassional Dyna MKIII or Stereo 70 variation, so please weigh my observations accordingly. Not quite true, I did spend an evening at John's a while back with the Chameleon driving my restored Threshold Stasis 3 and that was magical.

DJ

I own one of these (the elite version) and like it quite a lot. It's hard to comment on the sound since there are so many options for tubes and boards, but with the boards I've tried it is always very smooth and musical sounding. It's not the last word in extension and air, at least in my system, but I've been happy with it on the whole. The multiple tube boards can be good, given the flexibility it offers, but it can also be a bit frustrating: not only can you experiment with different tubes for a particular board, you can experiment with different boards, and so the sheer number of options available can leave one unsatisfied with what one has. I find myself always wondering whether a different combination of tubes and boards would give me a better sound.

Hockeyd52, why do you like the 12B4 board so much?

Although I do not yet own one of these fine preamps, I am fortunately invited to John's shop on a regular basis to witness the evolution of the Chameleon. Any number of other fine front ends have been on hand for comparison over time and the Chameleon shows very well as a standard of comparison. Enjoy your preamp and keep in touch with John as he is ever "busy in the kitchen" fine tuning the mother boards. My favorite for sure, that killer 12B4 board!