best preamp ever - cost is no object

In response to the initial thread, there is no universal best due to individual taste.

Same with the tennis analogies. "My" opinion is that Agassi was the best, although Laver would make for a great discussion. I base my decision on the fact that Tennis is played on grass, clay and cement. If you are truly the best of the best, you should be able to win on all surfaces. Only Agassi has won all 4 of the Slams on different surfaces. Borg never won the US Open on cement. Connors, McInroe, Sampras never won the French on clay. Federer is something special and still has a shot at the French. Laver had no choice back then as there was only 2 surfaces, grass and clay, but he is 1 of only 2 men to ever win the Grand Slam and only "he" did it twice. Agassi/Laver, now that would be a good discussion. Someone may come around and win the French 25 times in a row but I wouldn't consider him the best IMO.

hi onemug:

if sampras were to consistently beat agassi on grass, split evenly with agassi on hard surfaces and lose consistently on clay, what would you say. you have to look at head to head competition. the grand slam theory does not work.

for example, lets say agassi won a grand slam, but lost to one player every time he played him. would agassi still be the better player ?? i think there are too many variables to determine what is best in any endeavor, from tennis, to art, to cars, etc. . there is no best in life, with respect to any subject.

Hi Mrtennis:

As I said upfront, I based "my" decision on the fact that the game of tennis is played on different surfaces so my vote goes to Agassi. Others may feel it's more important to them that someone won 25 Wimbledons in a row so that's who they would vote for. I do like your point about "head to head". I think you summed things up perfectly in your last sentence with regard to the masses agreeing on any one thing. Often times it's just semantics. If I said I had the best wife in the world, many would disagree. I will say I have the best wife for me and everyone who knew us would agree.

Enjoyed your response.

Last Tuesday I got an H-Cat P-12R line stage. I very much doubt if any line stage or preamp can be its equal.

I estimate that I have owned 45 preamps during my long sojourn in audio. I recently got the six and hopefully final version of the H-Cat P-12 line stage. From the first version that won TAS Golden Ear Award, I have been impressed with this technology, label Doppler correction. This gives more precise location of instruments and vocalists with all frequencies originating at one point. This yields no smear to the sound and great tonal accuracy.

While the P-12R is still getting better, I find myself restless to hear other records and discs to hear whether they too sound far superior to how they used to sound. Brass and transients leap at you as they do in live music if you are as near as the microphones. Drums have the impact that that I had previously only heard on compression driven horns.

As an innovative circuit, this device has evolved. Early on I thought it was excellent, but then it got better in the P-12B and better yet again in the P-12B X5. The only real word to describe the sound was realism. I thought the last version could not be improved, but I was wrong, very wrong. I know of five others who now have their P-12Rs and who are also raving. You must hear this unit.

Good tennis analogy - mainly on the fact that technology has immproved all over this years and audience is now broader, let me elaborate.

How would Connors performance would be improved at his time with the new light materials used on raquets, better grip tennis shoes, improved trainning techniques in 20 years ahead (Marantz 7c, Mac c22) or the other side around: short point rallyes, marekting interest preassure on the player, short term winning long term strategies? etc..

Bottom line: It is not only a matter of playfields, but also sinergy and subjective evaluation that will provide us a way to express OUR very personal thinking on the best preamp (that is why I own an integrated now je je je)

Enjoy,

Fernando