Phenomenal sound clarity and imaging, wonderful build quality, great sense of humor from the company.

(a minor complaint)--no remote

Frank Zappa said writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Writing about stereo equipment sound is about the same. Using words to describe the magical, almost mystical, smooth, "friendly," effortless, non-fatiguing sound quality of the Manley Shrimp simply cannot convey the wonder of this piece of equipment. After having searched for "the perfect pre-amp" for a good 20 years, I have finally found it. I hear instruments, background vocals, and background harmonies I never knew existed in a soundstage that makes you wonder how many extra plates you should put on the table for the musicians that have appeared in your home. The build quality is phenomenal with solid knobs that feel like a handshake from an old friend. The Manley Shrimp is an elegant color someplace between purple and silver with big black knobs. The case is constructed to maximize air flow and minimize case resonance and vibration. The inputs and outputs on the back are clearly labeled in very large print which is a godsend for those of us over 40. I have seen stand-up comics that weren't as funny as the owner's manual. It is well written, clear, concise and to the point with a sense of humor that shows that Manley Labs takes its equipment very seriously but does not take itself seriously at all. The company website is just as funny. Some quick humor here before I continue--When I first received the Manley, I opened the box and my first reaction was "This piece of equipment is gorgeous!" Then I realized I was looking at the packing material (which is plentiful). The Manley sounded phenomenal straight out of the box. After about 100 hours of burn-in time, the sound quality improved. System: Music Hall MMF-9 Turntable Pro-Ject Tube Box Jolida JD100 Tube CD Player (heavily modified by Underwood Hi-Fi) Manley Shrimp Tube Pre-Amp 2 Sunfire Power Amps 2 REL Storm III Subwoofers Vintage HH Scott Tuner Stax Headphones Bohlender Graebner Radia 520 speakers Cardas speaker cables Cardas and Blue Dragon interconnects

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