Me and you both brother... Every time I build one, somebody up and grabs it...... The C-1 is just as quiet.... It just doesn't have the looks or the bells and whistles... But is a awesome Preamp. You can get them for less than $200 on the bay and with a little work, they will keep up with anything.
Yo Sutton, have you been asleep at the wheel????? I had a pile of the Series II's and over the last month or so I sold all of them. Lee just snagged the LAST ONE...
If you find a core amp, I'd be happy to build you one (or two).