It's a great unit. I have a great phono section, otherwise I would have bought the pre-with phono. The minimax seems transparently open, meaning that tubes have a much bigger impact on the overall system sound than I have experienced in the past. I am not worldly wise, but I have heard a few things in my time.
Two things, speak to Bill O'Connell:
Check and see if they are upgrading the regular pre (mine is upgraded)
Definitely spend the extra for tubes. Particularly the 6x4. Bill can save you a lot of time and effort.
Ultimately I used tubes that I had from other pres and amps - but his were runners up in each case. In my case I decided to go for a little less detailed edge and kept it a bit more on the round side, it fit my system better.
Gregg
Two things, speak to Bill O'Connell:
Check and see if they are upgrading the regular pre (mine is upgraded)
Definitely spend the extra for tubes. Particularly the 6x4. Bill can save you a lot of time and effort.
Ultimately I used tubes that I had from other pres and amps - but his were runners up in each case. In my case I decided to go for a little less detailed edge and kept it a bit more on the round side, it fit my system better.
Gregg