I don't think he's planning to discontinue the kits. I spoke to him a few weeks ago and he said he's actually planning to increase the options for the Maxxed Out by, if I understood him correctly, creating modular back panels that will allow customers to choose the standard MM/MC configuration, or MC/MM with a capacitance adjustment dial, or even MC/MC.
Late last spring, when he did my upgrades, I had him mod my Maxxed Out with a MM capacitance dial on the back panel so I could play with MM cartridges. It makes this terrific phono stage even more versatile and at no sonic cost. And because I have a two-armed 'table and sometimes run two LOMCs rather than a MM and a MC, I bought one of his premium SUTs, based on the same LL1931 trannie as the Maxxed Out. To my ears it easily sounds as good as the MC input on the phono stage (the only real difference is extra IC) and it's cheap. Now I have nearly the same flexibility as a 3-input phono stage like the Rhea or Steelhead or Wavestream at a much lower price point. And I actually prefer the sound of the Maxxed Out to the Wavestream, which I auditioned in my system.
So I think this phono stage is a wonderful deal and Kevin should be applauded for making it available. That being said, I *will* audition the Venice when it's ready. Kevin says it's miles ahead of the Maxxed Out, so it must be amazing.
