Since we're making KX-R Twenty comments here, my standard test when shopping for preamps was to connect my Wadia S7i directly to my amplifiers then compare its sound to its sound when running through the preamp.
It was always a game of minimizing the damage but there was always damage done. As an example, it took about thirty seconds of A/Bing to hear that an Audio Research Ref 5 SE would not serve me well.
When I first demoed the KX-R, it blew me away because it actually sounded better going through the preamp. I couldn't tell you why, the soundstage seemed a bit enhanced and clearer, and it was distinctive, to the point where I could run one channel through the KX-R and connect the other directly to the amp and could always identify which was which.
The funny thing is, I never knew that KX-R was a tad bright on the high end, never fatiguing, but noticeably - until I was able to demo my first KX-R Twenty. It was night and day and, as pricy as the upgrade was, the decision to upgrade was literally a no-brainer, the Twenty sounded that much better.
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