I have had my First Sound for close to twenty years now. I took a chance on this pre and have never heard another in my system. They are significantly better than when I bought mine and the upgrades have been a large improvement. The gold faceplate is nice, but it does nothing for the sound. Emmanuel says the gold makes his mouth water. The black Duelund I have is the prior model. Emmanuel has a newer model of the Duelunds. He said he thinks they are better than before, but sound memory can fool you, especially if there is significant time between. That is an expensive upgrade to take a chance on for a maybe improvement.
I took a chance on the Lampi without hearing it. I followed the dac shootout here and saw the reviews. A good one showed up on USAudiomart and I bought it. That is the way I have to build my system living out in the sticks. I don't make many changes but I do upgrade slow and carefully with research.
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