I have a dCS Purcell and Elgar and briefly ran the Elgar direct to my Classe CAM 350 power amps when a former preamp, a Pass X1, developed a temporary problem. Somehow the direct connection just missed something--it was utterly clear, but there was some quality of air and ambiance missing. Subtractively or additively missing? Who knows? But I do have a preamp recommendation for you you haven't mentioned, the Rowland Synergy IIi. It's very shallow (6 inches), which does wonders for heavy cable connections, demonstrates no solid state failings--extraordinary detail with no nasties--and is fully balanced, which means your dCS units will love it. (Between the Pass and Rowland I had a single-ended only tube-hybrid preamp, the Lamm L1, and neither the Elgar nor my Classe Omega SACD player sounded their best single-ended. By comparison, the sound off my turntable just glowed.) The Rowland is more expensive than the Ayre K-3x, which I compared it to, but to me the Rowland simply sounded warmer and richer in my system. Based on my clear preference for the Rowland, I didn't hunt down an Ayre K-1x, which in turn is more expensive than the Rowland. As to a comparison of the Pass X-1 and the Rowland, since there was a preamp between my use of them for almost a year, and a few other system changes, I can't say which one was superior, but they're both great.
