No kidding, right?!! For a $12,000 upgrade, it better guarantee a Grammy win!! Hell, for $12,000 I can just buy another console. Absolutely ridiculous!
has anyone tried replacing the SSM2015 with a more desirable preamp configuration? That might be a fun little project adapter board to make.. after all you do seem to be getting +/- 17.5VDC here. Cheap transformers and $15 DIY DOA's might be nice on some 50 cent boards from seeed..
I've got some custom made drop in replacement adaptor boards that are made to fit a THAT 1510 opamp in there. It sounds a lot better than the SSM2015. In fact, I've got some extras I'd sell you for $15 each if you're interested, and that includes the adaptor board and opamp. You literally just swap it out.