Quicksilver Mono 120 vs. Quicksilver V4

Forgive me for waxing nostalgic but I ran a pair of Quicksilver Monos for many years (damn, I can't remember what preamps I coupled the Quickies with).  At the time I lived less than five miles from Mike Sander's house, so it was no problem getting silver-quick replacements for those soulful if highly neurotic 8417 output tubes. Don't look at them funny!  At any rate, I eventually lost my patience with the ever-increasing cost of buying matched 8417s and bought a Primaluna Prologue One integrated.  Been happily out of the amp trade-up game ever since.

I find it weirdly disloyal in some way for you to have moved from Quicksilver after all those years. Did you compare them to the PL and decide against them?

noromance -- My sad-happy tale.  A bit peeved at the idea of keeping the Quickie fed with fussy, short-lived, no-longer-manufactured 8417s, I decided to simplify my life and shop for an integrated.  I tested a variety of them at various hi-end stores in the L.A. area, taking home samples ranging from the latest tech to the outright Medieval.  I wound up at  Kevin Deal's Upscale Audio, which  wasn't far away from where I lived.  I drove back to my house with an EL-34 tubed PL.  It sounded shockingly good.  It pushed all my emotional buttons.  "And he lived, I hope, happily ever after."

For QS 8417 owners, another option at QuicksilverAudio.com Q&A page:

http://quicksilveraudio.com/questions-and-answers/ √

You no longer have 8417 tubes, what do I do with my 8417 Mono Amplifiers?

Quote:

"For $250/pair (plus cost of new tubes), we can modify your amplifiers to use EL34 output tubes by changing the front end circuitry and the bias circuitry. We also replace the 12BH7 with a 6922.This modification must be done at Quicksilver and comes with a one year warranty. For original owners of Quicksilver 8417 amplifiers we will give you $900 trade-in toward a pair of new Mid Mono Mono Amplifiers. Returned amplifiers should be complete, with tubes, but do not need to be in working condition.",

unquote.