Had a look at the review of the pre-amp - then the price.
Guys - get a grip on reality here.
Its easy to drool over mega priced gear and think because of the price tag it must be the best.
However in practice I can assure you it's far from the truth.
On the few occasions I have heard of comparisons of the mega priced stuff, and been involved in some myself, with stuff I believe is up there with the best but at a MUCH saner price - guess what - the saner priced stuff won. On the DAC front it was a DAC shootout with a number of DAC's but the two finalists were a DCS stack at its mega price and a $5K DAC called the Killer - the Killer won - much more musical and involving. My most recent experience was at an amp GTG where a hugely expensive Gryphon was at. Some thought a dark horse highly upgraded old Leak amp was the best - at an all up price of about $5k. I was so impressed I am going to get one and have ordered the Leak to get upgraded.
The issue with mega priced stuff is the way we generally find out the REAL truth about gear is not by reviews in magazines - they have well known issues - but by enthusiasts like the people that post here reporting on then from direct experience. Due to their cost they are rarely if ever subjected to that very probing scrutiny. So it easy to get caught up in the romance of it devoid of the reality.
Thanks
Bill
Guys - get a grip on reality here.
Its easy to drool over mega priced gear and think because of the price tag it must be the best.
However in practice I can assure you it's far from the truth.
On the few occasions I have heard of comparisons of the mega priced stuff, and been involved in some myself, with stuff I believe is up there with the best but at a MUCH saner price - guess what - the saner priced stuff won. On the DAC front it was a DAC shootout with a number of DAC's but the two finalists were a DCS stack at its mega price and a $5K DAC called the Killer - the Killer won - much more musical and involving. My most recent experience was at an amp GTG where a hugely expensive Gryphon was at. Some thought a dark horse highly upgraded old Leak amp was the best - at an all up price of about $5k. I was so impressed I am going to get one and have ordered the Leak to get upgraded.
The issue with mega priced stuff is the way we generally find out the REAL truth about gear is not by reviews in magazines - they have well known issues - but by enthusiasts like the people that post here reporting on then from direct experience. Due to their cost they are rarely if ever subjected to that very probing scrutiny. So it easy to get caught up in the romance of it devoid of the reality.
Thanks
Bill