Dartzeel 108 vs Ayre Mr-X

I was considering them a few months back, along with the matching pre amp. I wasn't impressed by the Ayre in dealer show room, Bar81 will jump in soon I am sure and start accusing my hearing inability since he owns Ayre MXR and that should be the best. I heard the Ayre in many systems, in all cases they were "cold" sounding, for lack of a better word.

I only got to listen to Dartzeel in a short time, but the sound was quite good. I could not afford Dartzeel combo at the moment even in used market, so I decided to stick with my power amp (BAT 150SE) and change pre amp (SF L3SE to Einstein).

Get over yourself; you're unqualified to speak with regard to either product.

A PLL for the most part works the best with a Nagra amp so approach with caution if you want to mix and match.

Why not consider a Nagra amp? ( MPA )
You'll get more out of your current preamp that way.

Without knowing the other components involved, most importantly the speakers, Semi's comments are irrelevant. The speaker/amplifier match is critical in opimizing and evaluating either.

Second, the dealer's room is undoubtedly different than Semi's so that must be considered as well. The room is a component.

Ayre is outstanding gear folks; don't let these comments dissuade you from auditioning their amps and preamps. The cd players aren't on the same level however.