Tube Research Labs Dude vs. Shindo Labs preamps

I have a Dude and TRL is currently making me an OTL amp.

The Dude pre amp has been a positive ride for me and I am not on the TRL payroll LOL.

I hope the OP gets to hear one. He will piss his pants in laughter when he hears how great it sounds. Right Chuck? Come on now I know you can say something positive about the sound.

Agear and Granny got my attention with their praise of the Dude and I bought it with their help.

Best sounding preamp I have ever heard - even with last nagging issue to resolve. Quality and customer service on the exact opposite end of the spectrum.

That's good Charlie. I hope you will finally have some resolution to this. It will put your mind at ease. Please let us know what happens.

And NO, for the last time, I am not on the payroll. I am a surgeon. I don't need to moonlight as an audio dealer/distributor. LOL. The only reason I know any details in regards to this sordid little saga is that I am friends with the Weitzels and speak with them regularly. We talk about a lot of things ranging well beyond audio. I choose to support them because I choose to support them as does Glory/Gallant/Grannyring, etc.

My wife gets angry when she sees Audiogon yellow on the computer screen and says I am being distracted far too often by audio. Time for me to sign off.

Ciao....

"Quality and customer service on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. "

Well, I have had the best customer support from TRL. So like everything else, there are all kinds of customers and their satisfaction level but if you work with TRL people they can help you I am sure.

Yes let me put the quality part of it in monetary context for you:

- A chassis that is f’d up (back plate they used was too large, a top cover that I can’t be tighten down due to a cap that's too tall to fit inside. Take a guess as to what that will do to resell value in my case!
- A ground problem (calling it that for now)
- Additional cost to replace the output stage tubes (the one that came with it were cheap, warn-out junk)
- Additional cost to ship and have a third party assess the problem
- Additional cost to fix (unknown at this point)

That's what "inherent value" means in my case. And they had absolutely no problem selling me the unit in this condition and making it worse in some cases along the way. There in lies by real beef with them.