The Hungarian lands tomorrow.

Thanks for the update! I chatted with Constantin for an hour or so a few weeks back, really interesting and knowledgeable guy. In my hunt for a tube pre, the 204 is up against a PrimaLuna Dialogue, and a vintage Luxman CL35. Have any experience with either brand as they relate to the new Qualiton?

No I do not. 

@earflynn --

More to come best $6000.00 I have spent in a while.

That's some high praise indeed! Hopefully you'll share more info once you've had a chance to do some critical listening. But so far, looks like you're really impressed! BTW, when you were doing your research, did you look into Qualiton's A series -- A50i and A20i? What led you towards the X200? I'm wondering if the X200 is more in the sweet spot. I will definitely reach out to Constantin tomorrow. Thank you for the update. 

@cejohnston -- while I cannot tell you about the Luxman, what I can tell you is that a friend of mine recently got the Qualiton A50i and previously owned the Primaluna Dialog HP as well as the Blackhawk. According to him, there's simply no competition. Qualiton is competing at a higher level with the likes of Jadis, Octave, etc. From what I understand Audio Hungary builds and test almost everything in-house.

@earlflynn Thanks anyway! Still looking forward to hearing your impressions of the X200 after your post burn-in listening session.
@arafiq I appreciate the input! I was gathering that (that AH are really focused on producing truly high end gear) from how they were positioning the Qualiton line, but it’s great to have some confirmation from an actual listener. Also for me is the added bonus of the aesthetic value of the AH line—that A50i really is a beautiful integrated! I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if I go with the 204 it will be replacing my vintage SS Mac C38, and I (and my wife) are hoping to get a piece that not only supersedes the performance of the C38, but also stands up to the Mac standard, aesthetically.