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TRL Dude or Joule 150 MKII for Major Pre Upgrade

Thinking of either of these for what I view as a huge pre upgrade in my system. Current system is:

-Celestion A3
-Krell KAV250a (500 wpc/4 ohms).
-Nohr CD-1
-Rotel 995 preamp

I am looking to pickup warmth, depth and much more soundstage. Quality bass is also important to me. I want to keep the Celestions and feel that my current pre is the weakest link. Will also will update my digital source and ss amp down the road.

My thinking is that it will be worth paying up a bit for a higher quality pre that I can grow into.

Also I have a small naive question...with either of these pre amps will the sound difference be that great compared to the Rotel.

Thanks...any comments are appreciated.

-Iggy
iggy7
starboard
11 posts
 
I have took delivery of the TRL Dude preamp 9 days ago. I have ran it for the whole nine days with music to speed up the break in. I was very impressed with the 1st listen but now it is absolutly incredible. I have had many pres. One being the Joule la100 mk2. Also, the Dude replaced the audio research Ref3. The ref3 was very good but the dude is much more musical. The bass is very strong and betters any preamp I have owned. The music comes at me with power and yet at ease! It is warm and at the same time very detailed. I highly recommend the TRL Dude. I am sure it will be my last preamp. I have never posted a recommendation of anything before because I have always found fault with something in my gear. With the Dude, I cant find a fault. Finaly, I just sit back and enjoy the tunes!
If you can stand a 10 to 12 week wait, I would buy the TRL Dude. For me, the wait was well worth it.
schw06
60 posts
 
I have a brand new Dude if anyone is looking to purchase this stellar preamp. Email me for details.
iggy7 OP
3 posts
 
Will most likely move in the direction of the Dude. Thanks for all your comments.
tuongsy
25 posts
 
I received my Dude preamp last week. It looks amazing.It is the best looking piece in my system. The color is gold. Right out of the box, the Dude sounds bad. Up to now, it has been playing about 30 hours. The Dude is utterly shocking now. The transformation is not subtle. I am hearing details in the music that I have never heard before. The music sounds so real. I just cannot wait for it to be fully broken in. Paul Weitzel's customer service is outstanding. I am looking forward to purchasing new tube amps from him.
scp
20 posts
 
Anybody know if the Dude is availible to order with home theatre bypass?
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