I took on this assignment with some degree of trepidation. More times than I care to remember did I encounter products from small cottage firms that had a decidedly "look what I made in my basement" quality. Think poor or no quality control. I’ve opened more than one component to be greeted by a steady rain of solder balls. I’ve seen unconnected wires, controls and remotes that either did not function or were mislabeled and so forth. I can think of one manufacturer without unit-to-unit consistency whose products should include a fire suppression system (I’m not joking; I’ve got witnesses). Whilst Teddy Pardo may be a small firm, the build quality of the PR1/MB100 combo was nothing short of excellent. Understated and free of excessive bling that contributes nothing to sound quality, the Teddy Pardo combo was a cute well-built compact combo which I think would fit well with most homes and systems. Even the missus gave her nod of approval. Furthermore, I experienced no issues whatsoever during the several months I had this combo. My only beef is of the whiny audio reviewer kind. I’m not a big fan of WBT’s NextGen RCAs. I find them flimsy and prone to induce all manner of hum and pops if the cable connectors are not set just right. It should never be an issue for most audiophiles, only the overly obsessive-compulsive variety who like to switch cables incessantly - like me.

Did the sound match the appearance and build quality? Let’s find out. When I first fired up the PR1/MB100, it was a bit of déjà vu all over again. I recalled Audio Zone’s opamp clone amps reviewed several years ago. Apart from a little hardness and edginess which quickly faded as the equipment ran in, there was a pointillist clarity and sense of truth that I wasn’t expecting from the modest ask. This combo displayed a directness that was at once refreshing and not a little intoxicating. Just like the Audio Zone gear. As the units continued to run-in for a few weeks, these traits seemed to only increase whilst the last vestiges of hardness vanished.

It’s become cliché to state that tubes and solid-state sound converge increasingly. I’m not so sure. To me, stuff generally sounds like what it’s made of. A wood box sounds like wood, a silk dome tweeter sounds like silk etc. Having said that, the PRE1/MB100 sure appeared to have a good deal of the virtues of glowing glass - clarity and textural richness in the midrange, a touch of sweetness at the frequency extremes, a big 3D panoramic view of the music and being blessedly free of that gawd-awful muscle-bound synthetic droid bass which is typical of many solid-state amps. On the other hand, this combo also displayed the transient attack and fine detail retrieval which more resembled decent modern solid-state. Whether this had to do with circuit design, power supply, parts or all of the above I couldn’t say.