Hellow my friends,
I want you to investigate "THE GRAIL" by Van Den Hul.
For me it breaks a new ground over the most well known & successful units.
I've never had the pleasure to audition the Alaap or the Tron, Walker, Boulder & Connoisseur Definitions, but I know pretty well some of the most highly regarded & VDH leaves them all behind by a mile: from the first moment in detail & resolution, after the first 35 hours in terms of clarity & articulation & over 65 hours escapes from the usual perceived soundstage with a new, bigger & more believable scene that can satisfy with unforgettable credibility.
Goldmund was the first back at 90's that introduced the elimination of the input signal capacitor. It was my very first phonostage. Even today after purchasing so many top contenders, that small circuit board in my Mimesis 7 is more memorable than most & a good point of reference.
I'm in tubes now (with the same approach) but I paid crazy loads of money for them & in terms of overall performance, the price difference certainly does'nt worth the effort (22 rare tubes, 3 chassis) let alone easy of use & reliability.
Give a listen to "THE GRAIL" & let me know if my impressions are faulty.
Maybe they are 'cause I've only hear it with my Colibri XPP.
George
