Last September, in Vol.15 No.9, I started my quest for the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube Amp with reviews of the $995 Panor/Dynaco ST70-II and the $1695 Nobis Cantabile. While neither really fit the bill&mdash;the Dynaco fell a bit short in terms of sonics, while the Nobis was priced a bit higher than a thou&mdash;they got me thinking of the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube <I>Preamp</I>. Because the greatest amp in the world can only sound as good as whatever drives it, and there's no sense looking for a kick-ass affordable tube amp if you're going to play Scrooge McDuck when it comes to the preamplifier.

Last September, in Vol.15 No.9, I started my quest for the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube Amp with reviews of the $995 Panor/Dynaco ST70-II and the $1695 Nobis Cantabile. While neither really fit the bill&mdash;the Dynaco fell a bit short in terms of sonics, while the Nobis was priced a bit higher than a thou&mdash;they got me thinking of the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube <I>Preamp</I>. Because the greatest amp in the world can only sound as good as whatever drives it, and there's no sense looking for a kick-ass affordable tube amp if you're going to play Scrooge McDuck when it comes to the preamplifier.

Last September, in Vol.15 No.9, I started my quest for the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube Amp with reviews of the $995 Panor/Dynaco ST70-II and the $1695 Nobis Cantabile. While neither really fit the bill&mdash;the Dynaco fell a bit short in terms of sonics, while the Nobis was priced a bit higher than a thou&mdash;they got me thinking of the Ultimate Kilobuck Tube <I>Preamp</I>. Because the greatest amp in the world can only sound as good as whatever drives it, and there's no sense looking for a kick-ass affordable tube amp if you're going to play Scrooge McDuck when it comes to the preamplifier.

What the <I>hell</I> is going on with headphones these days?!

What the <I>hell</I> is going on with headphones these days?!

What the <I>hell</I> is going on with headphones these days?!

What the <I>hell</I> is going on with headphones these days?!

What the <I>hell</I> is going on with headphones these days?!

Sonus Faber was founded in 1981 by <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/870/index2.html">Franco Serblin</A>. Real wood has always featured strongly in the construction of this company's evolving range of costly, compact loudspeaker systems (footnote 1). The first was called the Parva, now in its FM4 form. This was followed by the Minima, a Tablette-sized model. The upmarket Electa came through in the last few years, followed by the Amator-Electa. This series increases in size and weight with each new introduction&mdash;for example, the Minima weighed 6kg, the Electa 12kg, the latest Extrema a massive 40kg or 88 lbs.

Sonus Faber was founded in 1981 by <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/870/index2.html">Franco Serblin</A>. Real wood has always featured strongly in the construction of this company's evolving range of costly, compact loudspeaker systems (footnote 1). The first was called the Parva, now in its FM4 form. This was followed by the Minima, a Tablette-sized model. The upmarket Electa came through in the last few years, followed by the Amator-Electa. This series increases in size and weight with each new introduction&mdash;for example, the Minima weighed 6kg, the Electa 12kg, the latest Extrema a massive 40kg or 88 lbs.