[Lazarus Short]

I gave away my Kenwood pre at an AK meet last spring, and went for months plugging/unplugging interconnects from tuner and DAC to the power amp. Happily, both had variable front-panel outputs. Then I picked up a Kenwood C-1 at a flea market - DOA. Then I bought a JVC Super-a integrated, not bad. Then I won a pre on eBay, and it arrived beat-to-hell and half-dead. Rats. I used an Aiwa micro-component pre for some weeks after I de-Oxit'd the pots. It was really quite good, but I only thought of it as an interim pre, since it was another flea-market find. The matching power amp is fairly impressive, too.

Yesterday, the KEEPER arrived: a Boothroyd-Stuart Meridian 201 Mark III preamp. There are no tone controls or other fripperies, just input selectors and gain, all accomplished with pushbuttons. The power switch and headphone jack are in the back. I played some CD's thru it yesterday, and after a while I noticed something. I put on, among other things, a Kaki King CD or two. I thought, MAN, that's a good recording! Then I realized that it wasn't just the recording...

I have paid more for a preamp, but this is the best I have ever owned. It was even an eBay purchase, and arrived double-boxed and perfect, like it just left the showroom.

PS: Anyone happen to know original MSRP in this preamp??

Laz