Considering the fact that I owned and home auditioned a good number of very highly regarded preamps up to $12,000, and didn't get from them the kind of complete satisfaction the EAR 88pb gives me for much less money, I'd say the EAR is a real bargain. I agree wholeheartedly with Downunder. Not only does the 88pb sound wonderful, it also provides top notch imaging/soundstaging. I feel it sounds best using either Tungsram 7DJ8s or JJ Tesla 7DJ8s. For now, I prefer the latter, but others might differ.