Hornshoppe "the Truth" preamp - any opinions?

Yes, great review @grannyring   

There seems to be quite a few preamps these days with a loyal following. Don Sachs, Supratek, Aric Audio, and The Truth to name a few. I recently got to hear the Don Sachs and it is a superb preamp that was better than my current pre. My friend who owns the DS used to have a TRL Dude which he says is still the best preamp he has ever owned and regrets selling it. He also had an original or first iteration of The Truth. 

Grannyring, I know you used to have the smaller version of the Dude if I recall. The Truth has a great price and I like that it can be upgraded and Ed is always looking to improve things. I think he’s on version 4 I believe? 

Any chance somebody has heard all of these preamps or come close? Or how about at least hearing the early version of The Truth and a current version and how they differ?

Hello everyone, I’ve been away from the Agon scene for a while and it’s nice to come back and find such a cordial and informative thread. 
You can add me to the list of The Truth users......and lovers. It’s hard to believe that such an ugly duckling of a product can help produce such beautiful music. I’m tempted to have a nice wood enclosure built to put over it, with an opening for the remote sensor.......but then I come to my senses and realize it’s fine just the way it is. 
Bill, thanks for sharing your modification information and observations of their improvements. Not sure I trust my diy skills enough to try doing so myself but it sure is enticing. Did you try messing around with the LED light inside the unit to widen the VC range? Worked wonders for me. 

Seems like many here have gone the high efficiency speaker/lower powered amp route and when doing so stellar preamps like The Truth and CSL go a long way in preserving the purity, tone and dynamics with their black background and transparency. In other words, getting out of the way and allowing the music to flow forth. 
IMO one can’t go wrong with either The Truth or CSL. I do like the convenience of a remote VC, not sure if the CSL has that option but it sure is the better looking piece of gear. 
Happy New Years......Tom

Nice review Grannyring.

Tom, I'm glad and somewhat relieved the Truth worked out for you, as you had PM'd me before your purchase and asked for my input. Whew!

I also compared the Truth (in stock form) with the CSL.  They are both top notch. My amps are Coincident Frankensteins and my speakers are 99db efficient. To me, the Truth sounded a bit more alive and real. I noticed this particularly with jazz music, so I kept it and sold my CSL. I have really fallen in love with jazz ever since I got the Truth.

I was not fond of the dual volume controls of the CSL. I appreciate the finer gradation of volume that the Truth offers. The Truth’s remote volume control is a good bonus. Lastly, the fact that the Truth is smaller, and that it is only one box versus the two boxes of the CSL, helped clear space in my rack.

I recently installed WBT input and output jacks and it was a worthy upgrade. If anything, the WBT jacks do a much better job of securely holding my cables. I was having an issue with some of my cables not maintaining a tight connection with the Truth, which led to occasional image fuzziness and images shifting right or left. All too often, I was finding myself wiggling my cables to try to get a better connection, which only temporarily solved the problem. The WBT’s have been a permanent solution and are highly recommended. I will be upgrading the IEC inlet soon.

I never had a ground loop issue with the CSL. It was a solid and reliable performer.

T-ramey. I have owned all 3 versions of the TRL Dude. In addition, with the help of Paul the designer, I built a super Dude tricked out with all the best parts. Recently, I build my own version of the Dude with some differences, but much more in common with Paul’s design.

I had the opportunity to compare the Coincident Statement to my Super Dude in a system including Paul’s TRL Samson SS monoblock amps. In this system the Dude really outshone the Coincident in all sonic aspects. But, please hear me on this, this was the case in this one system with the Dude having great synergy with the TRL amps and TRL cabling. Synergy is everything with our systems!

When hearing the Coincident Statement in my current system I was completely floored based on the above first experience with the Coincident preamp. In my current system the Coincident Statement was simply gorgeous. I don’t have a Dude to compare in my current system, however I am confident both preamps would sound great with subjective preferences determining which preamp one would rather have. When gear gets this good it always comes down to preferences and system synergy. Also, as Brownsfan said, the tubes used really impact the sound of the Coincident line stage. He has the very best tubes in the unit I listened to.

Based on my history with the Dude I can tell you the Coincident delivers a more airy and refined top end with a tad more midrange beauty. The Dude is more dynamic and throws a larger stage combined with a greater sense of ease when pushed. The Dude energizes a room like no other preamp I have ever heard. The Coincident delivers beautiful tonality and a sustained decaying of notes top to bottom that is arresting. The Truth offers remarkable purity and the complete absence of noise that takes getting used to. At first you think you are missing something, but over time you realize that noise and additional artifacts are now missing. Over time it’s hard to give this up!

Soon I plan on building another tube preamp based on the Dude, but with a look towards the beauty of the Coincident. I think there are things that can be done and we will see.

Excellent feedback grannyring, thank you!