Mapletree Audio versus Decware preamps

So far, I can say that Dr. Peppard (Mapletree) has been a real pleasure to talk to; reminds me a bit of Roger Modjeski (Music Reference / RAM Labs) in the credibility of what he says and why he does things they way he does.

Pubul57, Have you received this yet?

Nope. But I already bought some NOS RCA 12SN7s and 6x5GTs. I think it will arrive next week. Getting it in RCA Red/Black -- how do you beat that color scheme:)?

Nice! I'm in the same boat as you. I've had all big player preamps before and found that no preamp seemed best to me in a simple SET system. Less wire,less coloration,etc. But, now I've come full circle(again)and would like to try a simple tube circuit preamp with no nonsense engineering. I can always take it out for a change of taste.
I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Have you tried a passive with your SET? I am very impressed with the Lightspeed Attenuator (also have tried various TVC, AVC, and Placette)- after a few months of A/B with my Joule Signature Edition, I sold the Joule, which had been my favourite active preamp (after having owned ARC, CAT, Lamm, and Dodd tube linestages). This Mapletree fella, Dr. Peppard, does seem to have alot of knowledge about what is and isn't important for sound quality. At $800 with the Blackgate capacitor upgrade I felt I had to give it a shot. Have not heard anything negative from owners of his products. It seems that alot of audiophiles, as they get older, seek out simpler, a very common pattern.