I am sending my OmegaStar EC to VanAlstine for the latest updates but, I just want to say how much I have enjoyed this preamp for the last 5 years. It is flexable, quiet and smooth. Is it the absolute best preamp?, NO but, The key word here is VALUE. It is built like a tank, sounds great and is a bargin price in todays world of high priced audio. The law if deminishing returns applies here, you have to spend a lot more money to get something a little bit better.