Thor Audio - Answers to recent FAQs

Hello Everyone,
All TA-1000 preamps are NOT the same - not even close!
That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the questions that have been raised here lately.....
During Thor Audio’s history (starting in 1996), there have been over three separate iterations of our preamps. The first was the “gray and brass” series – an Oakton Gray powdercoated chassis with a solid brass front panel. These were produced from 1996 to 1998.
Then, in 1999, the black chassis (the one most people are aware of - with a choice of either chrome silver or 24kt gold accents) was introduced. This chassis change also coincided with a significant “audio” upgrade.
These continued in production until the beginning of 2003 when BOTH the chassis and all circuitry went through an extremely large engineering change (and we went from our Five Year to our Lifetime Warranty). Since these changes encompassed 100% of the preamp, it made sense not to refer to these as just an “upgrade”. It required a new name – hence the “MKII” model designation was born.
In our continuing effort to support any/all Thor owners, we then sent a flyer to all registered owners offering to upgrade the electronics (just the electronics) in their older chassis versions (now being referred to as the MK1s) with circuitry closer to the new MKII versions. This effort was to help our customers on a budget glean the best possible sound from their preamp. What we offered was a relatively inexpensive, achievable upgrade path and did not put our customers in a position of HAVING to purchase a brand new preamp just to remain current – a practice we had seen too often in the industry. The “Electronics Only” upgrade gave them about 80% of the sound of the full MKII version with many customers writing in later to say how happy they were with the sound and especially our continuing support and customer service.
However, as we all know, anytime there is a large change to an existing product, there will be many customers who want the very latest/best, and this was certainly the case with us. There was an immediate increase of Audiogon sales offering the old versions in order to purchase the new MKII versions. Unfortunately, some months later when some customers started selling these “upgraded” MK1 versions, they started referring to them as “MKII”. This wording caused massive and IMMEDIATE confusion! Buyers thought that they were hearing/purchasing FULL MKII versions, not knowing that it was just an upgraded MK1. Buyers had no way of knowing that these preamps did not reflect EITHER our best sound or our MKII chassis design quality!
FYI - As of 11/04, there have been NO full MKIIs ever sold on the internet. This is proved very easily - If the serial number on the preamp is less than serial # 1000, it is NOT the full MKII version! Make SURE you ask for the serial number before you purchase any of our components over the internet!
Further confusion can be also be cleared up right now regarding whether or not the "electronics-only" MK1 upgrade was ever really done to the preamp - Look at the back of the preamp on the top left of the RCA jacks. If there is a 1” round gold sticker saying “Mark 2”, then it was done. No sticker = No upgrade.
Regarding recent resale prices...
To our dismay, we noticed that five of the last six preamps for sale on Audiogon actually started life as discounted B-Stocks! Obviously this goes directly to the original selling price, and ESPECIALLY to the subsequent resale price! (Not one of the sellers mentioned anything about this for obvious reasons.) Add to this that fact that one seller was the THIRD owner and two sellers were the FIFTH owners of their particular preamps, it is now easy to see why you wound up with the ridiculously low prices posted recently!
Please contact us directly BEFORE you purchase any of our used components on the internet. While we can only estimate (but very closely) how many previous owners the preamp may have had in the past, we WILL be able to answer the most important questions of how it started life (a B-Stock?), or whether it was originally a Show or Dealer Demo, etc.! As you can see, all this is crucial to your purchase and goes directly to “you get what you pay for”! More importantly, if you contact us first, we can also point you towards an authorized Thor retailer who may have a MK1 and/or store demo/trade-in available. (Very Important - If you purchase your used Thor component directly from an authorized Thor dealer, you will automatically receive a free Five Year Warranty with it. You can then also order any of our “After Market Options” like a Remote Control or a Home Theater Bypass Switch, etc.)
For complete information on warranty policies and upgrades, please refer to the “Warranty Page” and ”After Market Options” pages on our web site.
Lastly, it is indeed frustrating for us when people see a TA-1000 for sale with a very low selling price, and think that figure reflects Thor's true resale value. As stated, the preamp does not reflect our best sound or chassis, and could be up to nine years old. Please note that this is long past the warranty and the life expectancy of many other preamps with their one, two, or three year warrantees. Many of these other components could have stopped working and obviously would not even be available for purchase anywhere. As strange as it seams, it looks like we are actually being hurt on some level for our longevity!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I sincerely hope that it has helped in guiding any future internet sales or purchases. Please feel free to contact Thor Audio directly at the telephone numbers or email addresses listed on our site with any questions. We make ourselves available at all time and will respond quickly and thoroughly.
Regards,
P.J Zornosa
Sales Manager
Thor Audio