The Devil is in the Cartridge Setup (and a good phone pre)...

@soundermn 
I agree. And I thank you for chiming in. 

I have a fairly thick thick skin but the tone and message of folks’ responses more frequently makes me think twice about posting in the first place. I’ve experienced this a lot recently.  

Im really thinking of switching to a different forum. 

When I built stuff DIY, I’ve used those type of forums to better success. People there are kind, helpful and there’s a real sense of unity.  People there treat others like members of a special club. I’ve never received criticism or snarky remarks.  And it’s rare that the OP’s thread gets off topic.  

On the issue of modifying gear...

i used to shy shy away from it for many common reasons.  Once I did a couple of more significant DIY builds, I learned so much about manufacturers’ choices.  It’s really rare that they use as good of stuff throughout the whole build even in what I consider expensive or regarded products. 

For example, my Primaluna integrated has only two nice but not top end Mundorf caps hooked to the preamp tubes.  But the rest of the product is laden with Duroch caps that I think are SCR caps rebadged.   I’m not going to say SCR caps are junk yet better caps throughout has the real potential to affect sound in a detectable way than does the use of crazy expensive cords or cables. I know that firsthand at least to my ears.  

Putting the the issue of resale aside, I would have spent another $300 on caps if I were making the Primaluna myself.  I may also have paid more for them on new purchase as an option. This is not a big deal.  It is worth noting.  

I bet bet many of the golden ears out there who spend real money on cabling or tubes could appreciate the addition of a Jupiter cap or great Mundorf just as they can hear a $600 power cord, which I sometimes can and sometimes can not justify even if I can. 

I highly recommend to folks buying an Elekit amp to build.  It’s like painting by number and when you do it you can try your hand at easily swapping caps or buying better resistors.  You don’t need much skill. Just a soldering iron and watch YouTube instructional videos if you want to know how to solder. I’d bet money that many people would find that a $600 kit amp sounds better than some stuff costing thousands.  

Back to the thread... I was listening to Norah Jones last night, and did notice that on some songs on "Day Breaks" album, it seems like the microphone is either too hot, or she's too close.  It makes her voice sound a bit over-done or over-produced and it's not so good.  But, it's only in a few spots that I noticed.

With your Manley, did the Op Amps change the sound?  I thought I read somewhere that Eva was quoted saying the Op Amps are for some purpose other than amplification, and aren't in the signal chain.  But, I don't remember the details.  

Found it:  

Mrs. Eveanna Manley explained: “Those opamps are performing as a DC voltage servo in order to bias the FET operational point. Those opamps are not in the signal path. They just stabilize a DC voltage needed to set the operational point of the FETs”.

That's interesting, Soundermn!  

I'd be talking beyond my expertise (very limited anyhow) to say whether op amps stabilizing DC voltage had any bearing on the sound when they are entirely out of the signal pathway.  This fact probably makes the quick swap less likely to have an impact on sound.