You may leave the pre-amp warmed up in the mute position between listening sessions. Otherwise, you will cause a large thump that will do your system no good. There are two small blue lights at the bottom center of the faceplate. The first indicates power-up. The second lights up when you take the pre-amp out of mute.
All controls are straightforward and easy to use.
Their solid feel is commensurate with a high quality pre-amp. A peek inside reveals a well-laid out circuit board loaded with high quality parts and the five tubes listed in the headnote. The rear panel sports a total of fourteen RCA connectors straightforward in their layout. They do not appear to be gold plated but are of high quality nonetheless. There is also a conveniently placed fuse holder and an IEC socket for the detachable power cord.