Opinions on Acurus equipment

no steal - a preamp that I auditioned (don't remember which model) showed some promise, but was too compromised even for the low-ish cost. I believe the Aragon would be better, but that's only conjecture. You might see what the posts on Audio Review have to say for some other opinions?

This is a followup to my previous post. I remember now it was the RL11 preamp that I tried; I recall it was "a decent preamp for the money" had some nice features, but was a bit harsh with my horns & bass was a bit thin. This is with reference to a $20K system. I didn't try to optimize (finding the best interconnects & AC cords) to synergize this preamp with my rig, which BTW is highly system-dependent. The RL11 was really not bad; it may be worth a try esp. if you've found a good deal. You could always resell it for a small $ loss if it doesn't work out.