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

Metralla, thanks and nice summary. The human condition: yes, one must be aware of it, and remember to do things for ourselves, think for ourselves, and resist doing things to be accepted.

It's about the music. Most entered the hobby for that reason. However, most became derailed from that goal when they started reading more and more from the "experts", and it became a different thing. It became about status, envy, prestige, and a chase for anything but the music.

My best advice about equipment: 1. Repeat 50 times everyday, "I know what my ears like to hear more than anyone else".
2. Pick your favorite type of music and search out local concerts, and put as much effort and time into that as you do reading the latest clown who is trying to ape Harry Pearson. You'll appreciate the music more, understand it more, and understand the huge rift that exists between music and this industry. 3. If you go to unamplified concerts (pretty easy to find) resist the temptation to say "my system sounds better". You know that cannot be true. It's like preferring the taste of artificial vanilla to real vanilla, freeze dried coffee to freshly ground very high quality coffee.

Huh? What da?

Kiddman you are right on the mark. I agree with you 100%. If we all used our own ears to judge equipment, not reviewers, and go to live jazz and classical concerts, many manufactures and magazines would go by the wayside.

I don't think they magazines would fall by the wayside, but I think the best products would not be coming from the largest advertisers...

Kiddman,
The listeners who are inclined to proclaim their audio system sounds better than unamplified live performers is to a degree understandable. If you prefer what's come to be known as the ultra detail-information-resolution presentation (some would say "accurate" ). If this is your standard then live acoustic instruments will indeed sound different in comparison. These insrruments will be warmer, richer and fuller in tonality and body than the "accurate" sound some have become use to hearing. Components that closely mimic the live and more saturated sound would be perceived as colored and embellished. It depends on what type of sound is the listener's standard of reference (template). These two camps will definitely go in opposing directions when choosing their components.