Melody has been releasing more and more high end products recently as they move the brand further up-market, and the latest addition is the P2688 preamp. Like the AN series integrated amps it has the new silver chassis, better transformers with C-cores from Japan, (wound in-house) and premium internal parts quality across the board, including M-Cap Silver/Oil caps, Jensen Copper Foil caps, Jensen custom ceramic coated caps, fabric covered solid core wire, etc. Of course like its lesser brethren it's still hand wired point-to-point. The tube compliment is a pair of NOS Western Electric 403's, Melody's signature 101D tubes for voltage regulation, and a 5U4G rectifier.
It's priced at $6999 and it's one of the best I've ever heard. The gap between the P2688 and the tried and true Pure Black 101 is significant.
Specifications:Vacuum Tubes 101Dx2, WE403x2, 5U4x1
Output Level 3V (Max 28V)
Frequency Response 3Hz - 100kHz
Input Impedance 250k Ohms
Signal to Noise Ratio >90dB
THD 0.02%
Channel Balance <0.5dB (20Hz - 100kHz)
Total Gain 20dB
Dimensions 17.3" x 8.5" x 15"
Net Weight 62lbs