Do I need BOTH amp and pre to be sonic holography?

I know I sound like a stuck record, but nothing can replace auditioning equipment at a "high end emporium". No amount of reading post's written by some of the smartest people I have ever encountered will tell you what true "high end" sounds like.

You have to make that trip to a "high end emporium". Once the sound get's stamped on your brain, you'll know when you're getting it right.

to tmsorosk:

It's really incorrect to say the name meant nothing. The sonic holography circuit is first patented, which means it has to do something. What it actually does is send a little of the left channel signal to the right channel, but 180 degrees out of phase. It also adds a little of the right channel to the left channel but 180 degrees out of phase. In this way, it helps to couple the left speaker to the left ear, the right speaker to the right ear, and the out of phase signals make that happen. Impressive on the right recordings, awful on gimmicky recordings. The C-6 preamp will work with any amplifier.

Sonic holography is patented, there is a patented circuit which intentionally manipulates phase to couple the left channel to the left ear and the right channel to the right ear. Sound stage is wonderful on tubes but a totally different thing than Sonic Holography. Do a patent search and you will find Robert H. Carver holds the patent

Sorry, Robert W Carver.

There is someone on ebay selling C-9 upgrade kits, also sometimes C-9's with the upgrade installed.

This unit below seems to me much the same thing, but modern implementation, seems you adjust the settings with a computer via USB..

http://www.ambiophonics.org/Ambio4YouDatasheet.html