Thanks, PHC1!
I have read that review, and although he compares the physical and technical differences between the -15 & -17, he doesn't compare them sonically.
Just as some Pass Labs fans prefer the older ".5" version amps over the newer ".8" versions, I'm trying to get a feel for which phonostage I would prefer. While my goal is "true-to-live", since that is never fully achieved, I much prefer to err on the side of warm, full and tonally rich & colorful rather than cool, thin & tonally bleached & "gray", even if other attributes are better on the cool side. I love medieval instruments, which have very distinctive tonal colors & textures and overtones. I've heard more than a few highly-regarded electronics which failed miserably at conveying their gestalt, draining them of "life.". That is what I am trying to avoid...
SOTA Star-Cosmos hybrid (vacuum, Electronic Flywheel)/SME V/Koetsu Rosewood Signature, Esoteric X-05 SACD player, Alesis ML-9600 mastering CD burner, Nakamichi 700 ZXE Cassette Deck, Pass Labs XP-30 & Hovland HP-100 preamps, Edge G8+ monoblocks & Classé M-700 monoblocks, Infinity IRS Beta & Rockport Atria Speakers, MIT Shotgun ICs & SCs, Shunyata Denali 6000T, Shunyata Alpha NR, Viper Ztron, Venom HC & Harmonic Technology PCs
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