Plus two more catches: It has only two inputs and no remote control. And there’s yet another catch: It’s battery-powered. Oh, and one more catch: You can’t pick your color you have to accept whatever random hue Bottlehead sends. There’s another catch, too: The enclosure is $40 extra. How can someone sell a tube preamp for $99 when they normally go for 10 to 40 times that? Well, there’s a catch: You have to build it yourself. There are still plenty of tube preamps to be had from dozens of boutique companies, but what’s special about the Bottlehead Quickie, and the main reason I’m reviewing it, is its $99 price. Yet many audiophiles feel that transistor electronics simply can’t match the warmth (or soul, or emotion, or whatever) of tubes. The product is a tube preamp, a category that supposedly became obsolete when transistors were invented. The reason for this micro-rant is that I’m reviewing a product of a type long ago abandoned by mainstream audio manufacturers, and barely seen in S+V since the days when it was called Stereo Reviewand everyone was raving about a new band from England with a drummer named Ringo. Before you argue the point, know that millions of Harley owners stand ready to back me up. A product that functions imperfectly yet possesses a singular character can be as enjoyable to own as one that delivers unassailable performance.
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