I completely forgot about this one... but back in the day, I used to work at the place in Lansing, Michigan that was a catalog showroom. Anyone remember those? Anyway, it was rather unusual one in the sense that we also sold audio gear; there were two salons - the garden-variety room (Technics, Pioneer, Kenwood etc) but also a high end room (Dynaco, Gale (speakers), Rogers speakers (as in LS 35A speakers, Mordaunt-Short, etc). Also sold in the high end room were components from dB Systems. Mind you, this was circa 1980, and the DB-1 preamplifier sold for around $700 or $800 (I can't recall). If you wanted the tone control module, that was another $700 or so. Again...1980 dollars. Pricey.

Anyway, inventory rolls around. in the 'to be serviced' bin is a DB-1 preamplifier. I ask my boss whether it's to be counted etc as it is in the store, and it is inventory - but the unit is apparently 'defective'. So, my boss suggests that I should go ask the Store Manager. I explain to the Store Manager the status of the piece...that it has to be serviced...but I need to know whether I should count it as part of inventory. He asks the sell price, I tell him, and he says "since it's defective, what will you give for it?". So...I going into wise-crack mode and say "How's about twenty five bucks?". He looks up and says "Fine...just get it out of here by 9:00 tonight".

I take it home, with its outboard power supply, and remove the case looking for the obvious burnt trace etc. Nothing. So, I decide to plug its power supply into the preamp and see what happens... The green LED on the power supply is now illuminated (it was extinguished when connected to the preamp with its cover on).

As it happens, it was one of the sheet metal screws that had come into contact with the + supply rail trace on the PCB, causing the power supply to short out. So, I carefully put the cover back on, and gingerly fastened the screws on its case.

It has worked flawlessly ever since...and it has the quietest phono stage I have ever heard (having an external power supply is a great way to keep hum and noise levels very low). I use it now in one room of my house (where the 990 is not resident). Twenty five bucks, out the door. Later that year, I talked the same Store Manager into selling me a DB-6 (dB Systems) power amplifier - a floor model - for $175. I think they went for $700 at the time. I also bought the tone control module for something like $100 a year later, also at inventory time (floor model).

Talk about being in the right place at the right time...