FWIW, I own one of these without remote and upgraded caps, and I think it sounds pretty darn good for the price. I've also owned the Dared 2000 preamp, a similar-priced Chinese made preamp, and I much prefer the YS Audio. The interior layout of the YS Audio looks like crap, but it sounds surprisingly good IMO. Also since it uses 2 12AX7 tubes (and a 6X4 tube if I recall) you can change the sound by rolling tubes. I settled on the Mullard Re-Issue (New Sensor) 12AX7 which sound good in my particular system. Lastly, with 2 preamp outs, you can connect the second to a subwoofer, which is always a plus.
