How many people have actually heard a direct comparison between the original Marantz 7 and the reissue (made by VAC)?
I ask, because I have. And in fact, the VAC version was even more consistent than the original... even more stable imaging, for example. That's because Kevin Hayes went through every detail of the original... same transformers, same type caps (as mentioned, the original 7 had a different variation of the "bumblebee" cap... just because they're bumblebee striped does NOT mean they're paper, in all cases), but with improved connectors and wiring.
The reissue 7 was one of the quietest, most linear preamps I've ever heard. Now, some of Kevin Hayes' own designs ARE better (the Phi being the primary example), but it's not like night-and-day better...
BTW: I'm planning to build a stripped-down 7 design... no tone controls, no filters... just the gain stages and buffer stages. I'm going to experiment a little bit... for example, trying 12AT7s for the output buffers instead of 12AX7s. Lower output impedance and more voltage drive capacity... can't hurt to try...
Regards,
Gordon.