I was offered an in home demo of a Peachtree Grand Pre

[mayhem13]

... I would expect recent, digital music to sound a bit more....analog and older all Analog recordings to soften up maybe too much? A defeatable tube stage makes good sense from a design perspective and I inquired about such an equipped device in another thread. Does Peachtree offer any recommendation on valve maintenance or replacement intervals?

[Jon Derda]

If that happens, will I need a new device? Will it be upgradeable? Or will it be a software update?

Please excuse the quick copy paste from the GI thread -

It will be upgradable. I'm not sure yet if it will be hardware or software based but existing owners will definitely be able to update/upgrade their units when it is made available.

[Jon Derda]

Does Peachtree offer any recommendation on valve maintenance or replacement intervals?

Bascom designed the buffer so that the tube heaters are always on - even in standby mode. If your'e going to leave your unit in standby for long periods of time it is best to turn the mains power off using the rocker switch on the back panel.

[AudioDoctor]

I have just noticed that Peachtree has switched to the XMOS receiver chip in their Grand Integrated and Pre.

 

from their website:

 

The X1 upgrade uses an XMOS receiving chip. This makes high resolution audio easier for your computer to handle because 1) it requires no drivers for Mac OS and a very simple driver for Windows and 2) it uses less RAM, so your computer has more headroom and sounds better.

 

I wonder if previous units will be upgradable...

[Jon Derda]

Non XMOS Grands can be sent to our Bellevue, WA HQ for modification. The "X1 mod" is $250.

[AudioDoctor]

Non XMOS Grands can be sent to our Bellevue, WA HQ for modification. The "X1 mod" is $250.

 

Thanks John, I will be sending mine your way. Is the info on your website?