BACKERT LABS RHUMBA 1.1 (with $900. IN FACTORY UPGRADES and NOS tubes)

The Superb Backert Labs Rhumba 1.1 in excellent condition with two upgrades: capacitor upgrade, including V-caps, and the upgraded gain stage known as the SILK upgrade, costing 900. (530. and 375. respectively - receipt for upgrades will be provided to buyer). Transferrable warranty good until March, 2019. Bob and Gary Backert spent years upgrading preamps and specialized in Conrad Johnson. Using all that exposure to some of the best and what made them sound better, they then spent 5 years designing the Rhumba. For most audiophiles this is will be as good as it gets in linestage preamp performance. The well respected reviewer Terry London placed it on the same level as his $24,000. reference and the Backert Labs Rhythm 1.1 which sells for $7500. And that was for the stock model!!!! This pre's performance is elevated further with the upgrades. The remote is machined from solid aluminum and is the equal in quality to any high end remote. Has an excellent balance control and balanced and single ended connections. This is perhaps the most dynamic and perfectly paced component i have encountered in 30 years. The speed is quite startling at first! These qualities add such an exciting and fun aspect to listening. Upon hearing the Rhumba, you realize how most components miss the pace and rhythm aspect of music. But just as important, there is a sweetness to the sound that makes long term listening very easy. Quite an achievement! I think the SILK upgrade is in part responsible for this sweetness. Please note that I had the Rhumba listed for sale a couple of months ago. It sold but the sale fell through and since then i sent the rhumba to Backert to reset the gain to spec. (originally set to only 3db of gain) and Backert completely checked out the performance of the pre and found it to be working perfectly. Uses two 12au7 tubes or their equivalents. Comes with the stock equivalent 4403 tubes and NOS RCA command 5814 tubes which are a definite upgrade. Selling as I am now using an integrated amp.