Preamp Deal of the Century

Jay- Mine Syrah does not have a gain switch. It was custom-configured with a mono-stereo blend switch. The umbilical can affect sound quality if it picks up some emi or rf noise, but what I was thinking of was in intermittent short/open connection. There are multiple very small solder joints at each end of the connector, all of which are vulnerable due to cord movement. BTW light tap on chassis audible does indicate a microphonic tube, as well.

Jay461 - As swampwalker said you are having problems with tube microphonics. By their nature all tubes are microphonic to some degree. Some more so than others. There are a lot of things to do. You should replace the tubes till you get a more acceptable pair. You can try isolating your preamp. I use a combination of brightstar airmass and symposium rollerblocks and hal-o tube dampers. There are many other isolation products out there also. Some use small innertubes from children's bikes. Under-inflated works better than fully-inflated. Considering the prices of some of these you should probably try the innertubes first to see if it helps. You also might want to consider the placement of you system rack relative to your speakers.

im wondering if i ordered a Chardonney at the end of Feb. how long of a wait would i have?Could some of you guys check out my system and listening pref. and tell me if you think this preamp would fit in well,,,thanks

Raytheprinter:
I ordered a custom Grange in early December and my delivery date is uncertain. I wouldn't begin to even predict when you could expect a Chardonnay but it wouldn't surprise me if you waited 3-4 months. However, this is only conjecture based on other posts and my own experience. Why not contact Mick for his estimation?
Good luck in whatever you decide; IMO Mick's products are worth the wait.

Raytheprinter,

I ordered my Cortese in October and have heard nothing yet. I would not be surprised if it were another month or two. However long your wait is, it WILL be worth it. These are totally amazing preamps.