Bug, I agree. I have black and it looks fine. Discrete. Once you are awash in the sonics of it all, the last thing on your mind will be color.
What was the final price tag on your Dude with all the custom work? I presume it was not $3800 as you listed in your system link. |
The new price is supposed to be $4k. I came it at the transition time. He did not charge extra for the blue anodizing and the pseudo balanced connections.
There are many updates they have done to the Dude that will be reflected in this unit like a "lighted" selector knob to let you know it is on.
Pete |
I want a Ferrari red Dude with an external PS.
. |
I see some of you Audiogoners are waiting on your new Dudes and Samson amps etc...
Let me share one finishing touch that I have found to be very important. I use Paul's power cords on all my gear - including my Velodyne DD15 sub. He offers them out at very attractive prices for his TRL owners so we can get the most out of his gear.
They really work so well with the Dude and Samson amps. Please know they are very, very stiff to work with, but magic in terms of sound.
I also use his power cord on my TRL modified Sony SACD and it turned out to be a revelation.
I am very happy for you new Dude owners and know the Dude will please you. The Dude has never looked better as the pics I have seen are impressive indeed. |
Dude ships tomorrow. Of course I'll be out of town next week when it arrives.
I decided to go with the Samsons and I might even get them in matching blue. |
Congrats on the Dude, it's a killer piece. Why would Paul discontinue Samsons? Will there be a substitute? Any news or thoughts on this? |
By the way, great decision about the Samsons, they have an amazing synergy with the Dude. |
My OTL ships out this week also?????
Bugblue,
You can't get your Dude before my OTL. |
Anyone of you compare the Dude to an ARC Ref 3 or 5? What did you observe during the Comparison? |
Sgr,
I have only heard the LS26 vs. the Dude. Two things struck me in this comparison in the same system. The LS26 sounded pretty small compared to the Dude. The LS26 had nice detail and tone, but the music seemed small and distant compared to the Dude. Bass response of the LS26 was muted compared to the Dude.
The Ref 3 or 5 would be better then the 26 to be sure. At least I would assume. |
Sgr, why are you asking? Are you unhappy with your Ref3? What other pre-amps have you heard/demo'd and why did you choose the Ref3? |
Sgr, a Dude owner named Huy (who lives in Dallas) A+B'd the Dude with the AR reference anniversary pre-amp. I will let you talk to him about his findings. I heard about them second hand and do not want to speak amiss. Paul Weitzel at TRL can give you his contact data if you so desire. |
Last time I spoke with Paul, he mentioned this new SS amp, interesting name- 'Little Lebowski'- I got a kick out of that! |
Yeah Sutts, the LL is a funny name. Interestingly, the Little Lebowski has morphed into a transformerless OTL amp. This will be a TRL first from what I understand. Should be interesting. Gary Anderson (aka Glory) will be the first recipient. |
Paul has a great sense of humor. His LinkedIn job title is Janitor at TRL.
Dude is in FedEx's hand at the moment! |
Has any Dude owner tried Mapleshade Heavy Footers on a maple block? Does Dude work well with Mapleshade products? |
I have not. I have used both Herbie's tenderfeet on a dedicated rack as well as Equirack footers. Both are good. |
Vett93
I have used many of Mapleshades products nd they are fine. However the Sistrum SP004 stand is very special under the Dude.
They do show up used for $150 or so.
Nice step up. |
Stick the Dude on a garbage can and it will smoke all HE pre amps. |
Grannyring and Agear,
I previously owned the Levinson Reference #32. But I had a chance to audition a REF-3 in my system, and liked it much better. It had a live quality that the Levinson did not have. So I purchased it. I have a friend with a Gryphon Sonata Allegro that sounds great and has the many of the best qualities of solid state and tubes. I've seen and read about the Dude on Audiogon and it sounds like a great preamp too. ARC preamps especially the REF series, seem to be one of the standards used across the industry by which other preamps are measured against. That is why I wondered with all the great things said about the DUDE, how it would compare to the ARC. I do wish it had a remote control.
Yes, I would be interested in hearing how the new ARC Anniversary preamp would sound vs. the DUDE. I would be even more interested in others who have owned other SOTA preamps including solid state, like the Rowland Criterion, sounded compared to the DUDE.
Thanks,
Steve |
Steve, I would call Paul W for more explicit details. The Dude has gone up against some top $ pre-amps and done well. You have to remember that TRL has been in business as long or longer than some of the bigger names you mentioned, and is not a johnny-come-lately outfit.
Have you compared the ref3 to the 40th anniv piece? |
I have not been able to hear a 40th Anniversary preamp. Nor could I afford it. But I recall how special the SP-10 was compared to all other preamps at the time. Owning the REF 3 and being very familiar with what SP-10 could do, I'd almost be afraid to hear an Anniversary edition. It should be an outstanding preamp with the pedigree it has. That the Dude is even comparable, and competitive from the hints I'm getting about the sound, speaks volumes. |
The Dude will destroy the AR Ref line. Good but not great. |
Glory - while we can all acknowledge you are an ardent supporter of TRL products and given I have no personal experience with them, I am now somewhat interested in researching them out. I have found that anything touted as having the capability of "destroying" something actually diminishes the credibility of the post but I do appreciate that forum input does give us an introduction to components that we may never have heard about... |
Bluebug,
Did the Dude make it?' |
I've read this thread, and am intrigued. Any ideas how the Dude would mate to a McIntosh MC275?
Thanks,
Tony |
The Dude Abides!! Yes, the crate lost it's "feet" but the unit is intact and beautiful. Sitting on the dining room table waiting for me to spring for some amplifiers.
Damn thing is HEAVY! Built like a tank and the knobs have great feel. Cool amber light behind the selector switch.
Paul included 9 CD's of high rez tunes in the box.
Sound? Who the hell knows at this point. And it will be at least 10 days before I know unless I drag out a surround amp from the theater and try those 60 watts on my system before that. |
Take some pics.
Wait for some real amps.
|
Congrats Bug. Samsons on order? |
I'm not going to wait. Pulling the trigger on something this week. Getting closer to a decision. |
So how long does it take to get a Dude once you've sent the $?
Bugredmachine,
That blue looks so cool would you mind if I imitated your color Selection? |
Bug
I know your considering the fine Mccormack 750 and I just remembered something.
Check the input impedence rating as if I remember correctly, it may be pretty low - around 20K ohms or so. I am not around a computer to check - using my Bberry now.
That is pretty low and confirm wth Paul if this is fine.
I may be wrong... |
Samsons are at 68kohms impedance. So I would guess amps at 50kohms or higher would be okay.
Sgr - go for it. Paul has a new anodizer and finally can get things moving which means other colors for those that ask.
I uploaded a few more photos of the preamp into my system just for you guys to see.
McCormacks are at 10kohms. |
Bug, your Dude looks spectacular. I am generally low key about equipment aesthetics, but I did briefly covet your Dude.
Sgr, time to completion of order is variable depending entirely on whether you upgrade the faceplate, alter the color, etc. The machine and anodizer shops are the rate limiting step in the TRL equation. I got a plain jane Dude and it took a little under 2 months. |
Sgr, nice room BTW. I agree with you 100%. The room is the most important component. We will be finishing our basement in the next 2-3 years, and I have a room design in mind. We are having kids soon, so soundproofing is essential. |
Bug,
Those 750's have a very low imped input rating. The Samsons are a great match for the Dude. I would check with Paul on the Dude and 750's mating well as the 10K ohm rating is very low indeed.
Yes, your Dude is the best looking one I have yet to see. Very nice. |
Are you kidding me? Wow!! Right out of the gate - clarity, depth, separation, and dead quiet.
WOW!!! And I'm using 10+ year old amps as a stop-gap. |
Bug,
Yes, you will soon know how special the Dude is as it simply sounds more like music then any other pre I have owned or heard. I love the finish and look of your Dude also. I purchased a new Dude also and mine will be Candy Apple Burgandy red!
Paul is building mine to mate with my new low impedence amp and Soundlab speakers. I think my Dude will be ready in 2-3 weeks or so.
Keep us updated as the Dude burns in. I suspect you will love it more and more. |
I am amazed at the initial results within 2 hours with low end 'amperage' and a DIY IC slammed in there to just get the system back up and get some tunage. You used the word "musical" and that is exactly what I hear. The sound is so gentle and revealing - graceful may be the best terminology. It's just stupid, but I actually do hear MORE detail of what is going on in the music but it is not forced at all but just laying out there to grab.
I'm in a hurry now to get some better amps. I have some new IC's coming and some new PC's to try. And the tubes in the Dude are temporary according to Paul as he awaits shipment of the new supply. I believe I have some RCA's in there right now.
If the Samsons are half as good as the Dude I may have to retire early and become a hermit in my man-cave. |
I can't wait to order mine. Keep us posted. Your blue Dude looks fine! Haven't decided on the color of mine. |
Bug, that is awesome. You are hearing what we have all heard. I am not an aggressive evangelist by nature, but the Dude bowls you over and you cannot help but share in the sheet giddiness of it all....
The Samsons are also staggering. The synergy is to die for. It is a no brainer....
Sgr, go for it....
I too am jealous of that blue chassis. |
Bugredmachine, how long have you waited for your Dude? |
Bug,
It's just a beginning of the good things and good things will come for the next few months I'm sure. I think mine settled after about good 6 months or so and the biggest jump was after about 600hrs. |
Bugredmachine, how long have you waited for your Dude?
Tthean 03-16-11
Well I waited an inordinate amount of time - 6 months. Paul had to find a new plater/anodizer due to economy, etc. last year and once he found one they kept having troubles as they were running his stuff on 3rd shift. Then there were delays when his Dad took ill in a town far away. Then winter hit them and us and their queue was big. But I kept in constant contact and always received a response from Paul. Many phone calls and bits of progress.
They finally got the anodizer to do their stuff first shift and they resolved the problems. This whole time the chassis was finished and circuit up and running, just w/o the sides and top panels.
Worth the wait for sure but you won't have to wait as long as I did. |
Bluebug,
Are you wired with 12sn7? If so get the RCA 12sx7 tube. It will kill the ones shipped to you. |
It's been a while, I'm looking at dual volume controls or am I missing something? (owner of a Dude) |
Pat, the dual volume control is an additional option that costs $ I believe.
Tthean, I waited a month and a half. Average wait time seems to be more in the 2-3 month range. It depends on if you order specials colors, 3 inch face plate, etc. You have to remember that no printed circuit boards or pre-fabricated chassis are used here. It is an artisan piece that is point to point wired in a chassis that makes previous pieces I have owned feel like a coke can. The newer Dudes with the 3 inch face plate are weighing in at 75-80 lbs.... |
Dual Shallco attenuators and the selector switch.
I think I have 6SN7's but will have to verify. |
Hey everyone. Check out Miguel's Dude: http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/i/f/1300480343.jpg
Righteous.... |
I wonder if he likes it??
What high $$$ unit has the Dude gone up against and was as good or better in all areas?
Mine are Audio Note M3/ Red Wine ISAbella. No contest.
Would like to know how it did next to the Arc 40 year Anny. unit. |
