New preamp experience

I am also very pleased with my recent purchase of a Coincident Statement Line Stage. It is proving to be pretty much everything I hoped it would be. It is an interesting experience when one adds a new component that is a special piece in absolute terms, but when it also mates well with the rest on the system, it is in fact one of those OMG what have I been missing experiences.
In addition to the CSL, I recently had a chance to borrow some VH Audio AirSines. It was another OMG moment, so here we go again. Another 2.5K invested in power cords. But the system is playing at a level I did not think possible.

Charles1dad, Exactly!

I have not had the opportunity to rotate other high quality active preamps into my system in order to evaluate their ability to deliver on the attributes I value most. Now that the CSL is in place, I have no motivation to run that particular experiment. I strongly suspect the CSL is the only active at anywhere near the price that would have supplanted the Promitheus Signature TVC.
About 18 months ago i carefully auditioned Magnepan 3.7s prior to purchase. The audition benefited from a 60K Esoteric/BAT front end. It is my belief that the ModWright/Coincident pair would handily win a careful A/B with that Esoteric/BAT pairing. I did some extensive auditioning of speakers prior to purchase of the Maggies, and so had opportunity to hear many front end pairings in the process. Most of the front ends I heard I could not live with.

Mr Blume has done something very special here.

Markus, I don't know how many times I have said "The madness has to stop somewhere." No sooner do I get the words out of my mouth than a new piece presents itself, that represents a substantial step forward. The good thing is you get to the point where anything else is gravy.