Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...

Yep same. Main system rotates: 2 great preamps, 3 great amps, 2 main phono stage, several carts and a few main SUTs. Two sets of speaker cables with slightly different voices. That’s before we even get into tube rolling. But just one pair of speakers. There are a few top combinations for sure, a few more interesting ones, but it’s been hard to settle on “one” for the long run, so far.

Of all the components I roll, changing preamps is perhaps the most jarring and hard to accept once I get used to an incumbent preamp. It’s all the subtle cues and nuances a preamp has that adds up to define their DNA of sound. I can change amps and immediately appreciate the far LESS subtle changes in bass, midrange, and treble - it’s a different perspective and some amps do better with some kinds of music, but I can always appreciate those differences. But when I change preamp my brain is more likely to go: WAIT, WHAT?! Even though its individual sonic difference are more subtle :)