Is the BAlabo BC-1 MKII Preamp the reigning King?

Declaring something is the "best ever," only to be surpassed by another "best ever" in the next issue is the modus operandi of Absolute Sound. I believe subsequent best linestages that followed included gear from Soulution and Constellation, and who knows what else.

I have not heard the BALabo gear. I would bet that it sounds nice, but, whether it does or does not obliterate the difference between tube and solid state is an issue I always find dubious. I have never heard solid state gear that quite had the same natural sounding initial attack and subsequent decay of the notes. On the other hand, tube gear that can deliver a lot of power and can control bass like the best solid state gear usually do not sound as good on initial attack and decay as lower powered tube gear, so one really cannot have everything. As for warm vs. lean, I hardly think this is a solid state v. tube issue. For example, I can hardly think of ANY top solid state gear that is nearly as lean and analytical sounding as Audio Research tube/hybrid gear.

Gee, I remember when Halcro was the best. Who?

Yes, Halcro is a great example of "best." I believe Stereophile sort of chickened out a bit on this declaration by putting a question mark after the "best ever" designation.

I had only a limited exposure to the amp (at audio shows) so I don't know how it sounds at its best. I know an industry insider who told me that he nearly cried from the overwhelming sense of nostalgia he felt when he heard the Halcro; it reminded his so much of the old Phase Linear 700 (this was NOT meant to be a compliment).

Anyone who would declare anything as a "best" is not credible to me unless that person is limiting the description to a personal judgment in one particular setting (personal opinion based on the particular combination of gear and particular room and particular audition material).

YES, the absolute king! I'm not just saying that because these products are produced in the County and State I live in.

In a personal conversation with an industry manufacture and distributor who regularly advertises in the audio periodicals, I would agree with Rsf507 without hesitation. It's just business, nothing more.

As long as there are LPs that will never be digitized and digitally mastered recordings that will never make it to vinyl what's the point of solid state sounding like tubes and digital sounding like LPs. Both have continued to improve to the point that I doubt that any of us could consistently tell the difference in the blind and especially when using BAlabo products. Trust me.

The Halcro stunk. From first listen. Just as many, many other "new king" components are not great (though Halcro is one of the grossest errors in memory). Yet, reviewers followed one after another, just as most audiophiles did, with collective nodding of heads.

The same thing is happening now with certain "hot products". Everyone laughs at the Halcro thing, but that scenario keeps playing itself out over and over again, and is being played out right now.
It means nothing when one big reviewer raves something (Halcro, Blabbo), they often parrot what the first guy said. It's how component reputations are often made.

There are 2 "herd mentality" masses at fault. First, most reviewers who are blinded by bling, designer dogma, pricing, appearance. They do care about being loudest and first. Not so much about being right about something coming close to real music....most don't play or go listen to music.

Then there are the audiophiles, the majority of who listen to the equipment but hear what the reviewer said, not what is being delivered to the brain by their ears.

It's largely a follower industry. An hobby of wanting to beat the friends' systems, but also of wanting to be admired for having the "right" gear. Most just do not listen.

I'm not denigrating posters of this thread, but flame if you want: flamers often are the ones who know there is a ring of truth to the statements that offend them, and that inflames them.