Faceplates Silver or Black???????

Black or Silver: It's a survival decision!!!

Most of my rig is silver face plate, e.g., linestage and CDP. The phono pre has a black face plate. I just jumped from the ARC PH-7 to the ARC PH-8. Ordinarily, I would have gone with a silver face plate.

But, my PH-7 has a black face plate. I had to special order my PH-8 to have a black face plate to match the old PH-7. Otherwise. my wife would pick up the change in one nanosecond and my life would be worth "bubkas" (nothing of value; junk).

Aahh, what one has to do to maintain "shalom bayis" (peace in the home).

My PH-8 should arive any day. I bought it from John Rutan at Audio Connection in Verona NJ. I'll report back on how it sounds after I break it in -- or my wife breaks it over my head if she figures out what I did. In the meantime, my PH-7 is listed for sale on the "Gon" and eBay for a very fair price. It's a great phono pre -- it really is. I've just heard so much hype about the PH-8, I had to try it. But believe me, the PH-7 sings!!!

To sum up: Gear color is a matter of choice, and "Notbananas" does not want his wife to know he buys cosmetic-free women based on performance.

Also...United Home Audio (sounds like a socialist hifi movement) puts Asian patterned stickers on some well regarded reel to reel tape machines. It's true. I'd like to see more wood veneered audio stuff (like a nice dashboard) or maybe Pass Labs or somebody could come up with a fake fur covered amp...but make it a good one so purists would buy it. Astroturf power amps...something...anything...

Wolf garcia makes me want to have a quality black fur fronted preamp...
I found a marvelous triangle of some fur years and years ago at a goodwill for a buck. it was the softest finest bit of fur i ever touched. 3/4 inch fur, black, shiny and 'solid (the fur was each strand solid like hair, not fuzzy like some fur can be)
i just was like in love with that four inch long strip of fur... touching it was a joy.
Anyway, fur like that... For a coat too... Prolly' $80,000 for a coat....

Elizabeth, you need to stay out of the Goodwill stores as your place will quickly look like a branch of a Goodwill store. However, I must admit I too visit on a weekly basis. Beats yard sales.

I heard a rumor that some NASA engineers (we know, lots of them are
Audiophiles) are working on a STEALTH Paining in a Bottle (or is it from Byebeeh
/Submarine protection, ultra secret, smuggled out from the Lab), available for
Audiophiles later.... you can spray it around your units and waves / resonances
will be absorbed. Not launched yet, because it absorbs light, too at the moment,
but they are working on it... Tested on Preamps with truly spectacular results
(silver front from what someone told me).... and you can listen to your music
with higher volume based on that .... stay tuned ... there will be also a WAF
version available... from Clive Christian .... (Number OnePointOne....but that is a
rumor at the moment)