I've used the Meitner PA-6i preamp for about 2 years; got the full upgrade package about a year ago. Picked up a pair of MTR-101s about six months ago, but since they sound so good I have not felt any urgency to get the upgrades done. In general, I feel that Museatex/Meitner products offer far more for the money than the big names. The Bidat D/A converter is another good example of a giant-killer. It is probably no coincidence that Sony, who could have paid for the services of virtually any audio engineer on the planet, contracted Ed Meitner to assist with the development of the Super Audio CD format. I would only add that using the PA-6i and the 101s together is definitely the way to go. It's also worth mentioning that when Stereophile gave the combo the Class B rating, the reviewer also noted the synergy achieved when using pre and power together; moreover, Stereophile acknowledged that the units they reviewed were early versions that had already been upgraded by the time the review went to press. Overall, with the pre and power going on the used market for under $2K, in my opinion, nothing else comes close. Happy listening! Joel Tatelman.
