I'm wondering if you have any specific comments about the tempest, and what it's doing for you.
Mark,
The 23 year old 3000 series II has been a great performer. I chose it over the more widely tauted Apt Holman after an extensive A-B comparison. Over the years I've had to replace a few parts to include the volume pot and did a bit of tweaking. It reached a point where further repairs/mods didn't pass my sanity check.
After much research I choose the Tempest. The moving coil stage is a huge step up from that in the old preamp which was no slouch it its own right. My very low output Denon MCs sound simply great with the Tempest. Having only one tape loop wasn't an issue as I use a dbx 200X switching unit to handle my 3 tape decks. So the unit's switching capability fit my needs as does the build and internal component quality.
Everyone uses adjectives to describe audio components and I find that the words sometimes embellish or otherwise miss the mark. So let's just say that for me the Tempest provides an extremely satisfying sound in concert with the rest of my system. Most other preamps that I've auditioned over the years in other systems invariably made me comfortable with the performance levels of my old 3000 II. Certainly there were some very notable exceptions although far too many (almost all) of these had no phono stages built in. To my ears the Tempest rivals or exceeds the very best of that exceptionally performing group. So yes, I'm
very very happy with it. BTW Klaus was right.... I don't miss a balance control.
I will admit that the twin monster dials originally gave cause for pause prior to ordering the unit, but they certainly have grown on me. As an aside when asking Klaus why he chose that configuration, he shared a comment his wife made about them.... all they need are nipples -:) He cracks me up and his customer support isn't shabby either!
--Bob
