[Uptown Audio]

My Bryston BP25DA is also dead quiet even with the level control buried and me right next to the speaker. So there is absulute clarity at the listening postion as well. I was listening to an old Stones Lp last night which I have not listened to in a long while, "Sticky Fingers", and was very pleasantly surprised to find it a more resolving and natural sounding recording than I remember hearing on any system and I have played this one nearly to death in years past. Still some of the old engineering tricks where they have one instrument in one channel, etc but overall it was very enjoyable and had great depth and tone.
-Bill

[Carlman]

If I have a tube pre with a lot of hiss or rush... or whatever kind of noise it's generally a tube that needs replacing.

With my DK integrated, I've never noticed any noise with the tubes I'm using now.  One day they'll start getting a hiss to them, though.  

The worst situation is when you find a tube compliment you like but that's also got a lot of hiss...  It really messes with the audio nervosa.

-C

[Tuckers]

My Shindo Preamp has published specs at 116 db S/N and it's tube.  It has no self-noise that I hear, and I have 103 Db efficient speakers.