Mapletree 4SE w/PS2 Users describe strong/weak pt

Lloyd offers good NOS 12sn7s (RCA I think, and GE or Sylvania for the power supply, so he is helpful in that he uses good tubes, but he is not a tube seller, though he might offer an opinion, so helpful in "that sense" too.

I have been looking into two other pre-amps in the 600 - 1,000 prices range: Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 and PrimaLuna prologue 3. How do they compare to Maple tree 4SE??

There is another thread here comparing this peice of kit to some other pre's. I've not heard any of the ones you mentioned, but do any of the others have phono stages? I think that's a bug selling point with the Mapletree.

I had the line 2SE a while back and like the others say, chassis is very flimsy. Get any contact cleaner or alcohol on the paint and you will have to touch it up. On the plus side, the sound is very much like the AE-3. I should know, I have owned 2 stock AE-3s, 1 DJH, 1 AE-3 MKII and a modded AE-3. It does not have the impact or bass extension like a good SS preamp but does have a sweet midrange. I thought the upper mids/lower treble could be more refined but you will need to ditch the Auricaps for that. A good deal for the money though and Doc P can customize it to suit your needs.