Berkeley Alpha Reference run direct

Blue circle hybrid preamp here..best of both worlds...I liked the berkeley ref. direct but it really does improve in soundstage depth and imaging with a Good preamp in front.
arc should be a good choice also,along with say an Aesthetix.

I contacted Galen Carol Audio yesterday. I had auditioned and purchased my BAR from them, via mail. I was curious how they set up their demo BAR. In their showroom, they are running direct into a pair of Rowland amps, with no preamp. They said some customers prefer a bit of "flavor", and in which case they would recommend a tube preamp. But for their demo, they consider no additional circuitry between DAC and amp to be the best platform to hear the merits of the Berkeley Alpha Reference. Interesting...

I would LOVE to hear that dac direct to Jeffs amps.  Galen is a great guy, by the way.  

I'm running a pair of Ayre MX-R Twenties. THEY are amazing amps.

imgoodwithtools

Other than price, have you considered using an Ayre KX-R Twenty with your MX-R Twenty amps instead of the ARC Ref 6?