Don is retired from his own company but does consulting work for the new owners at Spatial. 

If you are considering trying to get Holger to use parts from an overseas company he has likely not done business with before I would ask him way in advance of deciding to buy a preamp.  From my discussion with him about preamps he will do some customization in terms of inputs and outputs but I didn't ask about anything else.  Also the Khozmo unit may or may not even fit inside of his preamps with the way they are laid out.  The same thing Mick said.

Quote from: ejk on August 13, 2026, 05:45:22 PM

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 02:33:25 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 13, 2026, 02:25:54 PM

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 12:03:55 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 02, 2026, 04:15:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on August 01, 2026, 11:45:57 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 01, 2026, 01:02:08 PMUber arrived today. I have been Ubered. Can't imagine once broken in.

Good news indeed. Noise control is so darn important. My Uber has 8 receptacles and everything is plugged in. It works awesome 🤩

Yes my Uber has 8 also. I wanted to separate the amplifiers and the digital. I will leave the digital hooked up to the puritan labs, and all my amplifiers and preamp be plugged into the uber. One thing I did notice with the uber is that the soundstage is not as deep as when it was hooked up to the puritan labs.

That is unusual.  One of the most consistent comments is depth being much deeper.

Hmmmmm.

If I plug the preamp into the Puritan the depth comes back. So right now I only habe the Pass Labs plugged into the Uber

What preamp?

Aric Super 6sn7

Hmmmmm.  I got nuthin'. 

Quote from: Jack on August 13, 2026, 12:08:18 PMCompared to the "old school" tube sound of the Chardonnay it's more to the neutral side but that can be adjusted with RCA black plate tubes in the two input slots. Then it becomes more like the Cabernet. It really has nothing in common with the dead neutral Serence.  The Serene would be more aligned with your Hattor.  The Aric's can be more neutral if you put the right tubes in it like the NOS Tung Sol's it was shipped with.  Replacing those with the smoked glass RCA's changed that.  The rest of the gear in the chain including the cables also have a huge affect system to system. The Sachs would be much warmer with either of your amps than the Hattor.

Thanks for the additional information. Any preamp change would be a ways off. I don't know if Don's preamps are still being made. Is he now affiliated with another firm, is he semi-retired or completely retired? I don't know. I know you went to the Aric preamp and it appears you prefer it over the Sachs. All things considered, I would probably go with the single chassis Aric of ask Holger for a custom order using the Khozmo attenuator and remote.

I do like the RCA 6ns7 tube. It resolves and has that mid range warmth as well

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 02:33:25 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 13, 2026, 02:25:54 PM

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 12:03:55 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 02, 2026, 04:15:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on August 01, 2026, 11:45:57 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 01, 2026, 01:02:08 PMUber arrived today. I have been Ubered. Can't imagine once broken in.

Good news indeed. Noise control is so darn important. My Uber has 8 receptacles and everything is plugged in. It works awesome 🤩

Yes my Uber has 8 also. I wanted to separate the amplifiers and the digital. I will leave the digital hooked up to the puritan labs, and all my amplifiers and preamp be plugged into the uber. One thing I did notice with the uber is that the soundstage is not as deep as when it was hooked up to the puritan labs.

That is unusual.  One of the most consistent comments is depth being much deeper.

Hmmmmm.

If I plug the preamp into the Puritan the depth comes back. So right now I only habe the Pass Labs plugged into the Uber

What preamp?

Aric Super 6sn7

Quote from: ejk on August 13, 2026, 02:25:54 PM

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 12:03:55 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 02, 2026, 04:15:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on August 01, 2026, 11:45:57 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 01, 2026, 01:02:08 PMUber arrived today. I have been Ubered. Can't imagine once broken in.

Good news indeed. Noise control is so darn important. My Uber has 8 receptacles and everything is plugged in. It works awesome 🤩

Yes my Uber has 8 also. I wanted to separate the amplifiers and the digital. I will leave the digital hooked up to the puritan labs, and all my amplifiers and preamp be plugged into the uber. One thing I did notice with the uber is that the soundstage is not as deep as when it was hooked up to the puritan labs.

That is unusual.  One of the most consistent comments is depth being much deeper.

Hmmmmm.

If I plug the preamp into the Puritan the depth comes back. So right now I only habe the Pass Labs plugged into the Uber

What preamp?

Quote from: P.I. on August 13, 2026, 12:03:55 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 02, 2026, 04:15:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on August 01, 2026, 11:45:57 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 01, 2026, 01:02:08 PMUber arrived today. I have been Ubered. Can't imagine once broken in.

Good news indeed. Noise control is so darn important. My Uber has 8 receptacles and everything is plugged in. It works awesome 🤩

Yes my Uber has 8 also. I wanted to separate the amplifiers and the digital. I will leave the digital hooked up to the puritan labs, and all my amplifiers and preamp be plugged into the uber. One thing I did notice with the uber is that the soundstage is not as deep as when it was hooked up to the puritan labs.

That is unusual.  One of the most consistent comments is depth being much deeper.

Hmmmmm.

If I plug the preamp into the Puritan the depth comes back. So right now I only habe the Pass Labs plugged into the Uber

Compared to the "old school" tube sound of the Chardonnay it's more to the neutral side but that can be adjusted with RCA black plate tubes in the two input slots. Then it becomes more like the Cabernet. It really has nothing in common with the dead neutral Serence.  The Serene would be more aligned with your Hattor.  The Aric's can be more neutral if you put the right tubes in it like the NOS Tung Sol's it was shipped with.  Replacing those with the smoked glass RCA's changed that.  The rest of the gear in the chain including the cables also have a huge affect system to system. The Sachs would be much warmer with either of your amps than the Hattor.

Quote from: ejk on August 02, 2026, 04:15:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on August 01, 2026, 11:45:57 PM

Quote from: ejk on August 01, 2026, 01:02:08 PMUber arrived today. I have been Ubered. Can't imagine once broken in.

Good news indeed. Noise control is so darn important. My Uber has 8 receptacles and everything is plugged in. It works awesome 🤩

Yes my Uber has 8 also. I wanted to separate the amplifiers and the digital. I will leave the digital hooked up to the puritan labs, and all my amplifiers and preamp be plugged into the uber. One thing I did notice with the uber is that the soundstage is not as deep as when it was hooked up to the puritan labs.

That is unusual.  One of the most consistent comments is depth being much deeper.

Hmmmmm.

Quote from: Jack on August 12, 2026, 04:58:27 AMThere is always the Don Sachs preamps that have the volume control system you are looking for.

I thought about that. I believe you thought it was on the neutral side. Maybe it's similar to the Holo Serene. I would be leaning toward the Aric.

Quote from: steve on August 13, 2026, 07:42:23 AMI found out that when opening for the Beatles for the first time.

"Roy Orbison opened for The Beatles on their first UK tour in May 1963 and reportedly played through 14 encores before the Beatles even took the stage Far Out Magazine+2.

On the opening night in Slough, Buckinghamshire, Orbison performed a set that included hits like Only the Lonely, Candy Man, What'd I Say, Running Scared, and Dream Baby, closing with his new song In Dreams. The audience was so captivated that they kept calling him back for multiple encores. He was about to attempt a 15th when John Lennon and Paul McCartney physically held him back so they could finally perform American Songwriter.

This moment became one of the most talked‑about incidents of the tour, with fans chanting "We Want Roy!" and the Beatles having to intervene to stop him from returning to the stage Reddit. "

Another comment attributed to Elvis; that Elvis respected Roy so highly,
that he would never wish Roy to open before him.

Cheers
steve

Hi Steve,

I enjoy his music. Wasn't aware he died at age 52 because of a heart attack. Interesting story about the sunglasses. On a trip to the UK, he left his glasses on the plane. So he used his prescription sunglasses when he performed and kept doing it thereafter.

Hope all is well back east. Any projects going on?

Nick