Once again, allow me to repeat: my comments were only relating to the sound of pre/pros. I was not at all commenting on turntables, or cartridges, or whatever else. That's another discussion altogether.

To summarize: regardless of the source (analogue or digital) getting the basic sound right in a pre/pro (ie. no noticeable noise, distortion, and flat frequency response over the audible range) should not be a challenge to today's designers and manufacturers of pre/pros, and this should hold true at all price points.

Yes they can sometimes mess up. But then it becomes very obvious - and obviously a design or manufacturing fault or defect which almost always gets quickly corrected (a la Model 950 hiss problem.)

There is much more that can go wrong (eg. firmware) or that distinguishes between models (eg. features) than the basic sound properties of a pre/pro.

As someone who will be purchasing a new (not made-in-China) unit within weeks to replace my Model 950, I'm looking first to its feature set. Because the unit at the top of my list right now is relatively new, I am seeking out comments and reviews about its functionality etc. (For example how does its implementation of room correction software compare to other units.) I have a lot of trouble accepting (and in fact don't accept) that there exists a huge differences in "sound" between these units. In fact I don't believe that I could hear any difference at all. And certainly not something as dramatic as what my speakers would sound like if I wrapped them in several blankets!

Does anyone else want to comment on their experiences hearing a difference in the sound of a pre/pro (as opposed to the source material, room acoustics, speakers, etc.)?