My Dude was made in the same time period as Cdente's. It seems to me all of this is a matter of perspective and chosen attitude. My experience mirrors the host of others with TRL and that has been a very positive one. No matter what others say about their wonderful direct experiences with TRL, Cdente has set his attitude and has decided on a chosen perspective. We cannot and should not try to change him. We are all responsible for our own attitudes and chosen filters on lifes experiences.
It is easy to see how a situation like this arises. It is easy to understand how folks can have complete opposite opinions of the same situation. Rather then argue and get angry, perhaps it is better to just accept and move on. Lets consider the contributing forces that all came together and how two people can choose to react differently based on their chosen perception filter.
- My Dude, like Charlies , has a back panel that is slightly oversized and sticks out a little at the bottom of the unit. It looks fine and the cuts are straight a neat, but the panel runs slightly lower then the bottom of the unit. Cant see it from the front or sides really, and without any footers it can scratch the stand it is on.
For me this is a 100% non-issue and I never even thought about it as it looks fine and I put footers underneath it. For Charlie, it is an issue that seems to override the more positive aspects of the Dude we will get into. Again, this seems to be a matter of chosen perspective. In my review I mentioned the fit and finish of the Dude was DIY like and to buy the unit for its sound. The current Dude has stunning fit and finish as an FYI. It also costs more now. The first Dudes were priced at $3,200-$3,400, not $3,800.
The cover issue seems very slight also based on comments on this thread. Now, if the top is bent ½ an inch to close properly, then this is indeed a matter of more importance. Seems the bend is very slight however. Again this is a matter of perspective and expectations. No big deal for one and causing anger in another. The next consideration will put this into perspective.
- For $3200 - $3400 the Dude sounds better then every single preamp I have ever heard next to it by a nice margin also. It has bested preamps that sell for up to $30,000 . This $3400 preamp embarrasses other well reviewed pieces from well respected builders when it comes to the sound. What is this worth? Does this mean owners of preamps not sounding as good, that they paid $7,000 or $12,000 for, should be angered and up in arms? Should they post not to buy from these other companies because the sound disappoints vs. the Dude and the Dude costs thousands less? The value in the Dude is in the sound for me and others. Yes, the new Dude now has stunning case work, but mine and Charlies were not furniture grade. How one perceives value is the filter one will choose to judge a product. People differ. Rather then judge other peoples filters, make your own determination and move on.
- Now we come to the issue of ground noise. The very reason the Dude was sent back to TRL. No problem was found at the builder when sent back. The noise was not recreated in another system or on the bench. Well seasoned Aphiles know grounding issues pop up with changes in a system and are hard to cure sometimes. I know this from experience. A new amp causes a hum that is not recreated in my friends system. System synergy/compatibility etc. all can cause problems.
Compounding the issue is the fact that during shipping, and we all know how gentle our prized gear is treated, wires became unhooked etc. causing another issue for the owner. Who know what else happened during shipping including causing a cap failure and on and on
The builder works with Charlie to fix and the Dude is up and running again. The owner still notices the same grounding noise. Now the owner is very frustrated and with good reason. What or who is the cause for this frustrating situation? How we choose to look at it will determine how we move forward. We own our own attitudes.
This is where ones perspective or filter really comes into play. If one chooses to think the Dude is not a great value because of the back plate overhang, stubborn ground noise, shipping damage, not fitted with NOS tubes, frustrating situation etc.. then so be it and he is welcome to that opinion. However we must understand that once we view another party as evil or having bad intentions, then the chance for real communication and contentment is lost. Hard to move forward with someone you feel is against you.
Over time I think this has happened with this situation, to bad really. I now read about the tubes not being what he wanted and this shows me the situation has reach the point of non-communication and anger. Do we expect the Dude to be shipped with NOSs ? Are we looking under every rock to support our growing anger or do we have a spirit of working together and resolving?
Unfortunately a third party looking at the unit will not help with the real problem at hand. That problem has to do with attitude and perspective. No doubt a third party will only add fuel to the fire if one is intent on finding fault and is beyond wanting to communicate with the other party. More and more reasons supporting the anger will crop up when stuck in this mode.
In the end we own our own attitudes and filters and whether this leads to anger or peace. Agoners can continue to jump on and take sides, but it is all noise really. It seems to me many factors have come together causing a frustrating situation and we all choose how to filter these fac
