boulder and d'agostino

dealers have all kinds of reasons for recommendations
in your price range, they should give you a home audition of eitherthat way, you can decide for yourself

Maybe it will become clearer after they get back with me. Sorry for the confusion no I contacted Boulder who suggested I speak with the dealers in the area about the specifics of the gear(I had previously had the 1018 preamp and was considering either the new 1110 or 2110 or even the 2010). So when I contacted one we had preliminary conversation about the 2110 preamp- they did not have that available for audition. At that point the d'agostino (not sure which model) was brought up as an option to pair with my boulder 2060. I haven't heard that gear before and so prior to setting up audition was just if others had seen this pairing and there was a synergy that would be worth considering.  The dealers are several hours away so setting up home audition will take some doing.

The D'Agostino Momentum HD preamp is outstanding.  I replaced an ARC Ref 40 with it, and in my system the HD is significantly better in almost every way, with the sole exception of giving up just a smidge of that tubey midrange effect.  Now, for some listeners and some systems, that smallish step back in that one area could be a deal killer, but it works really well in my system (using the matching D'Ag S250 amp).

@rlkern_dallas  If you are in Dallas make an appointment to listen to the combo just wear slacks and a polo shirt.  If you don't have an expensive car park a few stores down and walk to the store.

@mboldda1 , 
If you have to impress a dealer, or hide the fact that you are not wealthy, then it would be best not to deal with them- Even if they have the equipment you want to audition.
As a New Yorker, I have been down that road. Besides visual identifiers of wealth, there are more than a few dealers who judge customers on their ethnicity.
Thankfully, there are some who do not. And, guess which ones I spend my money on?
B