Nice @laginz - glad I’m not the only one who still thinks there’s something special about these preamps and avoided the “I’ll dump on ________ because it will make me sound sophisticated“ syndrome that has infested the internet! I only sold my 3A (which I had for ~17 years) when I got in a lather after one of my VTL amps blew up (again), precipitously decided I’d had enough with tubes for a while, and bought a (very nice) Plinius Hautonga integrated in order to downsize the whole rig. Well, that didn’t last long, so I bought a used L2B and an S-120 amp as a set (I’m still done with tube amplifiers). After about 2 years the backlights started acting up on the L2B, and when I called Art about getting it fixed, I also asked about updating the power supply. Turns out they don’t do updates but, rather, sell you a brand new unit at a very substantial discount (a la Lyra), so I went for it, and I’m glad I did. I know there are some circuit changes, but I primarily attribute the improvements of the 3B over the 2B to the beefier power supply, and the difference is not subtle (and I know it’s not attributable to new tubes vs old, because I’m using the same set of tubes in the new amp that were in the old one). I used the oem Russian tubes for break in, then put them away for a rainy day.
NB: I want to correct one thing in my previous post, but I can’t edit because it’s more than 30 minutes old. My addled 65 year old brain got it backwards regarding the bypass capacitor switches. I actually prefer the preamp with the switches off (i.e., the capacitors in the circuit). While it might not be as neutral, I get a fuller, more musically engaging sound, imho, especially with a SS amp. I used to do it the other way for tube amps (mostly VTLs), which were already pretty fleshed out. But it’s all a matter of personal taste and system matching - some people prefer Koetsu chocolate, others prefer Ortofon vanilla. Neither is wrong, neither is right - do what makes you happiest and ignore what some random guy on the internet tells you is ‘the only way’ (me included, although I try not to espouse absolutes when it comes to audio preferences, even if I don’t always succeed). At this point in my life, when I listen to music (which is a LOT), I’m a pleasure seeker, not a truth seeker, so take it for what it’s worth.
YEMV, etc.
✌🏼