The Shrimp is a very nice preamp, although I found that it paired much better with a "muscular" solid state power amp than with a tube amp. When I switched from a solid state power amp (a B&K 4420) to a tube amp (a McIntosh MC275 and then a VAC Phi 200), I found that it was lacking in bass. The Aesthetix Calypso was a much better sounding preamp once I switched to a tube amp.
I seldom see Manley gear come up for sale on Audiogon these days. Maybe everyone has a new found love for Manley. But I suspect the reason is that Manley substantially raised retail prices a year or two ago. Rather than making small incremental increases in price, Manley almost doubled the price of the Shrimp, which used to be thought of as a "budget" preamp. But, $3,700 isn't "budget" anymore. Who wants to pay $3,700 for a new "jumbo" Shrimp, which is the same as the original Shrimp with the addition of a remote control, when a pristine Shrimp could easily be found used on Audiogon for $1,000 or so a few years ago. And the Aesthetix Calypso -- a better all-around preamp in my opinion -- can be found on Audiogon for about $2,200 or so, a lot less than a new Shrimp.
I seldom see Manley gear come up for sale on Audiogon these days. Maybe everyone has a new found love for Manley. But I suspect the reason is that Manley substantially raised retail prices a year or two ago. Rather than making small incremental increases in price, Manley almost doubled the price of the Shrimp, which used to be thought of as a "budget" preamp. But, $3,700 isn't "budget" anymore. Who wants to pay $3,700 for a new "jumbo" Shrimp, which is the same as the original Shrimp with the addition of a remote control, when a pristine Shrimp could easily be found used on Audiogon for $1,000 or so a few years ago. And the Aesthetix Calypso -- a better all-around preamp in my opinion -- can be found on Audiogon for about $2,200 or so, a lot less than a new Shrimp.