IRD Purist preamp review

I brought the Purist to a listening session with some fellow music lovers whom I had never met before. After enjoying the hosts system for the first few hours we switched out the Klyne Audio Arts 7LX - 3.5b pre-amp for the Purist. The first thing we noticed, and I noticed this with my system also, was the interconnects did not fit tightly on the RCA jacks. They were too loose for comfort. The next observation, after the music started playing, was the snap and crackel each time we adjusted the volume up or down. This also happened to me on my system. The last thing about the volume is I could not completely turn it off using the volume control knob. Even on the lowest setting I could hear music clearly. Whether that was good or bad, I don't know, it seemed odd to me.

That being said, the next 4 plus hours were spent listening to music with a Krell FPB 200 amp, Sota Star Sapphire sIII turntable, Sony 777ES CD, Purist Audio Design Cable and Interconnects and last but not least Kharma Ceramique 1.0 speakers. I am not comfortable(or qualified) using the "words" to describe what I hear. To sum it up, the Purist was very impressive - everyone agreed! This is an exceptional Pre-amp. No one knew the price of the Purist the entire time we listened. When I asked for guesses , I was very suprised. Lets just say the Purist performs at a level much higher than its price tag would suggest. When I told them $665 delivered,they said - Buy It! Thank you Curt for the audition and I want to thank the great guys from the listening session for their honest and unbiased opinions. My next decision is black or silver faceplate.

Paul 01-31-04 - Profile / System