Again, interesting as I agree on Boulder and Ayre source components (specifically their phono stage and QX-5 Twenty DAC), but the Ayre KX-R Twenty preamp and MX-R Twenty amps are the most musical I've heard and are what I use, and I have been impressed by most Nagra demos I've heard. The KX-R preamp was the first time I ever heard a source component sound better for having gone through a pre rather than being wired directly to an amp.
(Actually, I haven't heard any DAC using the ES9038 PRO sound good, though the Oppo UHD-205 does well with movie soundtracks.)
Just goes to show there is a substantial amount of personal preference as to what sounds real to each of us. (What's ironic is I find the Ayre and Boulder sounds to be incredibly different in character, the former being very musical and the latter the definition of clinical solid-state sound.)
I too take your opinion on gear; I spend the absolute minimum I have to to get the sound I seek, and magazine reviews do nothing but help me narrow down which components I should audition in my own home. I've also laughed at the opinion of magazine reviewers and other audiophiles who disagreed as I know what I hear.
I'm even one of those weirdos who have bought gear based on what I heard at shows (gasp!) as most of my equipment did not have a local dealer when I chose to buy it.
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