Who wants a set of tone controls on preamps?

Music Reference USED to offer limited range tone controls for their preamps on a custom basis ... not sure if they still do or not. I would LOVE to hear a well implemented tone control system on a preamp. Appears others would too if you have ever seen the price of a Cello Pallette on the used market!

I still have a carver pre-amp that has the most flexible on board tone controls I have used.

It sounds fine in my second system, but leaves a bit to be desired in terms of overall sound quality in my main system, where I replaced it with an ARC sp16 a couple years back.

It is a very decent compromise though between flexibility and sound quality for reasonable cost.

It was also made over 20 years ago now though. To do the same with good quality today would surely increase the cost and probably only have limited appeal as a result.

I know we're talking pre-amps here, but...

I like the idea of the trim controls on Decware's Torii MkIII amplifier:

"Trim control on each channel so you can adjust the tightness of the bass perfectly for any given loudspeaker. It does this by putting the voice coil of your loudspeaker in parallel with one of the resistors inside the amp so that the loudspeakers fluctuating impedance can tell the amp to put out more or less power. It does this in real time, nearly at the speed of light.

Trim control on each channel for the treble. This allows you to adjust the top end this amp offers so that virtually any loudspeaker can sound right, be it a Lowther full range driver or your favorite hi-fi speaker."

And then on the Mini Torii amp:

"Adjustable sound - designed with high efficiency single drivers as a likely paring by many customers, a defeatable treble control was incorporated that works perfectly to take any hotness out of the top end, be it the speaker or recording."

I've never heard either of these amps, but like the idea of being able to make these kind of finer adjustments, which is about all I ever feel the desire to make, and at the amplifier level, to boot.

Having switched from a tone control (albeit defeatable and completely bipassable) preamp to one without them, I can say don't miss the tone controls at all. In fact I WILL say it. There, I said it. I control the bass a little bit by turning the level up and down on a REL sub, but otherwise welcome the higher resolution of the better preamp.

If we can put a man on the moon, there can be tone controls on gear without ill effect. Viva la McIntosh.