I've never heard an Emm Labs PRE, but judging by its price <gulp> it must be wonderful sounding. Enjoy!
I have enjoyed Emm Labs sources for over 12 years, had the CDSA SE and then the XDS1 , two single chassis CD players with great communication capabilities, and I have 2 dear friends who have the CDSA SE and are very satisfied with them, plus one who has I got my XDS1 when I upgraded to the Esoteric K01x last fall.
In 2014 I had the chance to try the Emm Labs Pre 2 , which did very well with the CDSA SE , a great quality match, the Pre 2 replaced a VTL 6.5 i , and the gearbox was very impactful on speed, the cleanliness, the dynamics, and on the detail and micro-detail that have emerged in a clear and evident way. At that time I still had the ProAc Future 0.5 , then followed by the Harbeth SHL5 40th Anniversary and finally the Graham 5/9 . . .
Three years ago I had the opportunity to try out the new Emm Labs PRE, and it was lightning, immediate love, more fire, more extension, a granitic and highly articulate bass, a pre that seems not to exist in the signal path. definitive for me. . .
Yes, the price list is absolutely unwatchable, and it's a bit of a trend that is involving many Hi End brands and brands, certainly overestimated, and I won't tell you in Italy how much higher it is compared to the USA !! But after the audition I couldn't go back, the gap that divides the more than 10 years of life between the 2 electronics is too much, who says that there is no evolution and change in Hi Fi objects, or doesn't listen to them in the right conditions , or has never been able to appreciate them in real life, because they are 2 preamps with the same philosophy but with a very important performance gap.
My components usually have life cycles in the audio system of about 8-10 years, with some exceptions more or less, I'm not a compulsive in buying and changing, but when a component enters that does very well, and better, I try to conclude and look forward, obviously if I can afford it.
And the Emm Labs sources, which I've loved for over a decade, capitulated to a player like esoteric, which was a great sonic revelation.
Dario