I had a Counterpoint SA 5.1 that was problematic for a few years before I finally wouldn't put up with it anymore. Tubes sound good for the few days that they're between break-in and break-down but all things considered they are not worth the trouble. Next I bought an Aragon pre-amp. It didn't last too long before I got the upgrade bug. I sold the Aragon and bought a Krell KSP-7b. It was much better than the Aragon and I think was more balanced than the Counterpoint. After returning to Stereophile which I hadn't subscribed to for several years I started reading about some of the other things out there. I did some homework and decided to get a KRC 2. I sold the KSP-7b and bought a Krell KRC 2. The new Krell is similar to the KSP-7b but everything the KSP-7b does well, the KRC 2 does better. In my mind the KRC 2 was well worth the money.