One thing's for sure -- the sound will be totally different, and you may like some things betters and others not as much! Maybe you just need a different tube preamp if the Chardonnay has things you don't like about it...
I personally like the concept of a tube preamp feeding a solid-state power amp. And different tube preamps give different presentations. So depending on your personal listening bias, you might just be looking for a different kind of tube sound...
That said, I am also curious about what you feel are the Chardonnay's short falls?
I personally like the concept of a tube preamp feeding a solid-state power amp. And different tube preamps give different presentations. So depending on your personal listening bias, you might just be looking for a different kind of tube sound...
That said, I am also curious about what you feel are the Chardonnay's short falls?