[Ericus Rex]

According to the Rowland factory, the Capri is the best preamp they have ever offered, with the exception of the Corus, which is current production and 4 times the price.

I would personally never trust what a designer has to say about their current preamp; they ALWAYS say their latest is their greatest.  I'd go by your own ears and the ears of others you know and trust.  I hope it's all that you remember it being!

[macrojack]

Ericus - You make a good point about manufacturers specious claims amid self-promotion. However, I've known Jeff Rowland for 32 years now and I feel pretty confident in what he tells me. After all, he's very low key, not at all a Billy Mays sort. And he rarely introduces a new product. You don't see him generating variations on existing products year after year. When he brings something new to market, it is done pretty quietly and it stays in the lineup for years. I trust him. That's why I ultimately just ordered another Capri (with phono board) instead of gambling on some interesting options that were presented. Both the Sanders Sound and Wyred 4 Sound preamps looked interesting.

Yes, I have a turntable.

[macrojack]

Timind - I started that little repartee about tubes but I did not initiate a discussion about tubes vs. solid state. All I offered was the opinion that tubes have lost their place in the world. We must, after all, be aware of the monumental insignificance we audiophiles enjoy in the greater society. While tubes are extremely important to a subset among us, they no longer register so much as a micro blip in the overall economy.

I have tube amps I no longer use. But they are still here because I harbor fantasies of again someday wanting to use them. It's like clothes you don't want to get rid of because they'll fit you again as soon as you lose weight.

[Devil Doc]

I'm not going to debate the superiority of tubes or SS, but tubes have NOT lost their place in the world.

Doc

[K Shep]

Good luck. Tubes are obsolete...

Ok, I should probably remove all replies from this point on...

Just remove the "tubes are obsolete" remark.

[doug s.]

Timind - I started that little repartee about tubes but I did not initiate a discussion about tubes vs. solid state. All I offered was the opinion that tubes have lost their place in the world. We must, after all, be aware of the monumental insignificance we audiophiles enjoy in the greater society. While tubes are extremely important to a subset among us, they no longer register so much as a micro blip in the overall economy.

I have tube amps I no longer use. But they are still here because I harbor fantasies of again someday wanting to use them. It's like clothes you don't want to get rid of because they'll fit you again as soon as you lose weight.

macro, this i agree with, 100%.  in the grand scheme of things, tubes are definitely obsolete!  but, i thought you were referencing the "subset among us" - the audiophile community.  the way i see it, in the grand scheme of things, the audiophile community itself is obsolete, so of course tubes are obsolete!   

doug s.

[mav52]

My old 1966 'Marantz 7'

[BruceSB]

A new preamp is near the top of my upgrade list.
Currently I have a Sanders preamp hovering around the top of that list.
When I consider a new upgrade there are a number of factors I consider that could all be summed up by the single word "confidence".
"Confidence", for me, carries a range of dimensions from sound quality to reliability, company "audiophileness" to philosophy of its founder/driver, possibiity of making a "wrong" decision to value for money, and so on.
With that off my chest let me suggest you consider the Sanders Sound preamplifier.
It is factory direct so there are lots of middle men cut out making it strong value for money.
There is a try & return policy, so if you don't like it in your home you just return it and get your money back.
The previous $4k phono amp & previous $4K preamp are now combined into one $4K preamp.
Roger Sanders is a highly respected member of the audiophile community.
Roger has a long history of making outstanding products.
I could say more but you get the drift.
At this point of time it seems a no brainer to me.
However, given a change of circumstances or time I may change my mind but right now that preamp has the particular facilities that I require, the price is in my ballpark and I have "confidence" in the man and his company.
Hope I have offered some food for thought.
Bruce

[MtnHam]

Not sure about what you are comparing to, but think you should audition the Aesthetix Calypso, albeit a hybrid. Used at about $2k, Signature version, about double that.

[Big Red Machine]

Not sure about what you are comparing to, but think you should audition the Aesthetix Calypso, albeit a hybrid. Used at about $2k, Signature version, about double that.

Aesthetix could not hold a candle to my Dude.  The Dude abides.

[ddafoe]

I recently purchased a Belles 22a preamp and am using it to feed a ModWright amplifier.   I find the imaging very nice and the sound is very full bodied and warm.   More recently I purchased a Wadia 121 DAC (with digital volume control) and have tried it with both the preamp and feeding my amplifier directly.   I only have a digital source so I do not need the switching the preamp provides.   I purchased the preamp really just to get some warmth and body to my music so from that perspective it does its job.  However, running the Wadia directly in my system definitely has more detail and resolution.  The music is a bit cooler and I don't think the imaging has the depth that it does through the preamp, but it is more focused.   I'm now trying to decide if I should keep the preamp....  I am finding it hard to justify the cost of the preamp in a digital only system like mine, although I do appreciate how it improves the sound in some ways.   The Belles is the nicest preamp I've ever owned (my previous favorite was an Adcom GFP-750).