Preamp Deal of the Century

But its a real problem, everytime ya think your at the top of the heap they pull you back into the mix with something better.

btw Bwhite, I am not concerned about the value of my Syrah falling, that isn't the reason I bought it in the first place. Furthermore, if something comes along that bests it by a substantial margin at a similar price, I would consider it a breakthrough and would chalk it up to REAL progress. And if your Cortese is that much better than the Syrah, I'm sure there would be interested potential buyers, myself included. If it is just a matter of improvement in the noise floor at the high gain setting, I just so happen to own an amp where this would be a non issue.

Nice post Steve. My objection to Mick's comments was strictly based on the good news, bad news without mention of recourse to the bad news as was Bwhite's it seems.

Oh no! 666 threads this close to Halloween!!!

Daddy, I'm scared!

Hi guys, this is the first time I have checked on this thread in a while. Whow! sounds like some controversy. When I started this thread, it was to let everyone know what a great product Mick had. I am sorry to see this controversy come up, but let me put my 2 cents worth in and I will shut up. I have always felt Mike was a great guy to deal with and very fair in his dealings. Was this the best way to tell people of his new designs? I don't know. What I do know is that you will never own the "best" of anything for very long. All designers, including Mick will always strive for more. As for me, I still own my original Syrah and have NO plans to get rid of it. I have mated it to a Berning ZH270 amp and that match makes beautiful music for me. The first thing I do each day when I get home from work is turn on the the hi fi. I hope all of you find that magical piece of equipment that "does it" for you. The Syrah is that piece of equipment for me. I don't care what happens to the resale. I am just happy listening to great music! You are all a great bunch of guys and I wish you all the best.

Glad to see the thread back on thread. I've admired the participants here not only because they use their own ears to evaluate equipment, but also because, unlike so many audiophiles who submit to the conspiracy theory that the government is withholding the use of matter transmitters each time they insist they cannot wait for overnight fedex to get those new, great cables that will change everything forever, you all have been able to wait for a truly outstanding product that you have never seen or heard. Hmmm. Or that an indication of another kind of weirdness?

This is, by far, the most enjoyable thread I have found. The easygoing, friendly atmosphere in the back-and-forth interactions is such a refreshing change from the obsessive-compulsive, teeth-nashing intensity that characteriazes so much of high-end audio. And everyone here seems to really love music, too. Go figure!

I hope that this thread just goes on and on.

Thanks, folks.
jeffreyfranz