Posted by JimM (i) on January 08, 2001 at 15:29:58:

In Reply to: What should I do? posted by Rolf@grid.net on January 08, 2001 at 13:12:07:

Well, since it came up, I best chime in about it...

The AE-3 is fine, if fine is what you want. I do like the esthetics of the case, and it's size for placement purposes, and if you got one as a kit you would have some budget left over to re-work it. If you like the looks, then you're at a good starting point. With a lot of work you will probably end up liking the sound, too, but in its stock form it has a long way to go to even be on par with a Foreplay, no kidding.

I 'inherited' mine along with a pair of amps that I purchased about a year ago. I was not familiar with the Foreplay at the time, so I did not know any better. Ignorance is indeed bliss, but since then I have been enlightened, and I've been on an odyssey ever since. Because I had already made a substantial investment in caps and time, I did not want to abandon the AE-3 for a Foreplay, but I would have been money ahead, and I still see the Foreplay as my fall-back plan. So I stuck it out through the re-engineering process until it now sounds quite nice. Only the hardware and the tranny are still stock on mine by this time.

The small size of the case has caused me a lot of problems, though, and working on it is like working on a spring-loaded jack in the box, when I pull out the last screw on the cover, *Sproing!* I'd rather have the room of the Foreplay.

The Foreplay is a great preamp, do not let price fool you. If it were Christmas all over, you should ask Santa for a Foreplay, and every Bottlehead upgrade they offer. Just get them all, you can put them in at your leisure, but don't stop part way through and compare it to the expensive preamps. Once you have built it, and added the mods, you will be able to stand tall amongst your audiophile friends, and knock them over with the quality of the sound.

I took the hard road, but you can take the easy one, it's just as rewarding. And all the Bottlehead products are very well supported by the factory and this forum.

Regarding whether the Foreplay would "disappoint given the steep competition", absolutely not, no way. In fact, you'll be tempted to brag it up to your friends, and have a little listening competition. I can imagine the scene already, a little like the wrestler Goldberg screaming "WHO'S NEXT?"!!! So bring 'em on.

Just my .02

Jim