Berkeley Alpha Reference run direct

It sounds absolutely incredible. And it's not like I don't have options. I have my old Ayre K-1xe, which is quite transparent. It adds a touch of impact to voices, especially, and can give them a somewhat shouty character. It homogenizes the sound a bit. More cohesive, slightly less detail. I plan to use the Ayre for SACD playback, video, etc.

I spoke with a dealer in California today who caries Berkeley, Audio Research, and Ayre. They feel the Berkeley is outstanding run direct. But they have heard better soundstaging, especially depth of field and layering, by using a great preamp. They say the AR Ref 6 is an absolute steal at $14K, detailed, harmonically rich, great soundstaging. But they said the best they've ever heard the Berkeley for ultimate transparency was with the volume at 54, and run balanced thru an Ayre KX-R Twenty.

The Ayre was on my short list.  It's one of the best preamps made.  I went with the Jeff Rowland Criterion.  I wanted to like the Arc Ref 5 (at the time) but I heard tube rush.  The other -Preamp on my list was the Pass.  (Burmeister, mbl  out of my price range).  

The new Rowland stuff intrigues me. Sooner or later I gotta stop shopping. Lol

Jeff Rowland is an amazing man.  And approachable.  You can pick up the phone and call him.