Price Paid:  $125.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I bought this unit to use in my 2 channel system while my >$2000 Marsh P2000t hybrid tube preamp was out for repair. I must say I was amazed at the quality of sound this unit yields in the stereo bypass mode. I had read the reviews here and thought that it would work well with my Rotel RB 1090 amp and 3.6 maggie speakers....and I was correct!!

If you are looking for an inexpensive preamp, you can't go wrong here!! It will be fun to do a comparison with my Marsh preamp when it comes back from repair.

Strengths:
Solid bass extension, very cohesive sound from top to bottom!!

Weaknesses:
Maybe not as detailed sound as I get from my Marsh, but not off by much!!

Similar Products Used:
Marsh P2000t hybrid tube preamp.

Price Paid:  $60.00 from Ebay

Summary:
I bought this unit based on reviews that I had read at this site as a temporary replacement for my Sony Tae77esd. It's paired with a Bryston 4B, Dahlquist DQ-10's and a pair of Vandersteen subs.It brings a warmth to my 4B that didn't exist before, and has resulted in the elimination of listening fatigue that seemed to plague me with the Sony. My prime use is as a stereo preamp with video switching. The pass through for video isn't as clean as the Sony, but the stereo reproduction is excellent. Without even considering the price I paid, I would buy this unit again.

Strengths:
Stereo image, warmth, simplicity, noise free.

Weaknesses:
havent found any

Similar Products Used:
Sony Tae77esd,

Price Paid:  $125.00 from E-bay

Summary:
I find this unit to be a great bargain. It was new, and is more so in the used market. It has great sound in stereo for audio buffs, and adds pro-logic for those who like to watch movies as well. The bass boost helps those who like to set their sub level for music and not adjust for movies; just hit the boost and more drama for movies. More than enough inputs for most of us. Eventually would like to have a newer unit with DD etal, hope the new ones are as good in stereo mode.

Setup:
Adcom GCD-600 5 disc CDP
Rotel RSP-960 pre-pro
Adcom GFA-555 200w/ch amp
Adcom ACE-515 line conditioner
Magnepan MGIIIA speakers
Velodyne ULD-15 sub
Sony DVD
Sony 35" TV
Sony SLV-950 VCR
Akai 135w/ch amp for rears
Mission rears

Strengths:
Great stereo pre-amp, very good for music. Also works well in pro-logic surround.

Weaknesses:
Light popping noise through speakers when changing inputs using remote. None really though considering price.

Similar Products Used:
Adcom GTP-500II for stereo, many pro-logic receivers for surround.

Summary:
I am as keen as a person who's owned a pair of mission 774's plugged into a Kenwood Amp for 3 years and who, one day, gets a Roland RSP-960AX and RB-956AX 6 channel power amp for $50 canadian.

This is by far the best pre-amp ive ever owned. I love it. It sounds so good with all the music I really like to listen to. It made me steal some of my parents cd's just to hear more of some old tunes. (When I say "more" I mean both ways) There are parts on the white album I didnt know were there before...

My speakers were one thing but this piece may be the piece that totally pulls me into the realm of audiophiles. I absolutely love my stuff, but I know I will have better and more some day.

If I could give this a 100 value rating I would but 5 will have to do.

Strengths:
clean, beautifully simple, solid remote, nice match with my other mid-hi-fi components,

Weaknesses:
no component video switching, no compatability with DD and DTS

Similar Products Used:
Demo'd: bryston, nad, sim, naim, golden tube(mmm..), harman kardon.

Owned: Kenwood(integrated/pro-logic), Sanyo(preamp/2ch) Yamaha(preamp/2ch) Sony(integrated/2ch).

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Used

Summary:
I'm continually amazed at the performance of this unit. Without a doubt this is one of the best units available for those of us who want great stereo, and want Pro Logic and video switching as an add-on.

The best quality of this unit is the pass-through for stereo. When you shut the surround modes off this is an outstanding preamp for stereo. I compared the unit head to head with an NAD C160 and found that it imaged better and had a warmer sound than this highly rated class A unit. It's detail is really amazing for what it costs. Yes, I wouldn't compare it to a Krell or Conrad Johnson, but then they don't have video switching or cost 10x as much. It has no tone, or balance controls, which probably has a lot to do with it's clarity in stereo mode.

If you want the best surround modes then this may not be the best unit out there. I don't consider myself able to really comment on the surround modes as I don't really use them much. However I find the ProLogic mode performs an excellent enhancement of midrange that makes TV watching more enjoyable.

If you're like me and love good stereo but need video switching, a remote, and like a little surround once in a while then this is an outstanding unit. It's stereo bypass is the best I've ever heard in an AV preamp, and is better than a lot of high end dedicated preamps I've listened to. Outstanding value.

If you want the best surround than I can't really recomend it as I found the EQ function utterly misguided (boosts midrange...go figure) and can't really comment on the quality of the pro-logic, but do find the other surround modes workable but not the best (I find Yamaha has better surround modes).


Setup:
Martin Logan SL3's
2 NAD 214's in a vertically bi-amped setup
Analysis Plus 9 cables
Rotel RSP-960AX
Toshiba DVD (don't remeber model number but it's the new
carossel with 96bit pass through...waiting for a good
96 bit upsampling DAC...)

Strengths:
Outstanding passthrough for stereo

Weaknesses:
Most surround modes so-so, bass-EQ utterly useless

Similar Products Used:
NAD716, NAD C160, Yamaha DSP, Carver,