I too have enjoyed listening to my A3cr preamp for just over a year. It needed bdr's, upgrade power cord and ps ultimate outlet with a better source for it to shine in my system. Clearly smooth and never fatigueing, it outlines musical passages very well, just lacks the depth and texture that units twice the price can bring. However anything within a $1000 to $1500 hasn't beat this units overall tonal balance. Indeed it is a very entertaining preamp, never dull or hard with only a hint of false timbre at times. Beautiful preamp with some vigor. Great on orchestral music. No hiss from any distance an inch or more away. I've auditioned Classe 47.5, Krell KSL, KRC ,Linar, Linn, preamp solid states and I would only go up to Audio Research Ls12 as a clear step up from the A3cr as that preamp sounds opened and at ease with all music flowing through it. Also the ls12 sounds like a truely internally balanced circuit , no phase-splitting techniques or decibel volume and reveals whats on the cd with manners and musicality with no edge or hardness as it retreives detail.
System
Classe cdp-10
Mf a3cr pre & power
Ref 3a mm de capo
System
Classe cdp-10
Mf a3cr pre & power
Ref 3a mm de capo