Sirspeedy, Your comments are right on.
If I'd heard what you did in Dallas, I'd not buy it or recommend it either, but "still" you may have been subject to one particular parameter negatively affecting the outcome, you heard!
That is exactly the situation and Raul was told.
Obviously it was my and Louis system being discussed "in Dallas" and the session at my home was done with my BRAND new crossover, a few days old. This new one utilizes 16 mil spec Teflon caps in the signal path and Raul heard it with about 100 hours on it.
The designer of the caps said forget about a decision on sound until 1000 hours or more and that has proven to be true.
To make matters worse, I was under the assumption we were going to listen to Raul's new preamp FIRST and mine second. So, the system was off (for nearly a week) and cold when we began.
As for the second system, so far Louis has been unable to pick a winner between his Garrard/Triplanar/Dynavector XV-1s combo and his Technics/SME 312S/ Air Tight combo.
I've heard these two turntables played side by side every week for the last few months, and they are both superb. I still prefer the Air Tight but deeply respect the Dynavector too. Louis also has the same Aesthetix Io and Callisto but Kharma Exquisite 1De speakers powered with CAT mono blocks.
We listen at his home once a week and my home once a week, I love his system and he loves mine and both of us are huge fans of Air Tight.
I'm such a fan of Air Tight I ordered and just received the new Air Tight Supreme.
Out of the batch from Japan that mine came from, one was pre sold (not loaned or a review sample) to a reviewer at Absolute Sound.
Another one from the batch was just put on hold by me as I'm acquiring it for the world wide director of advertising for one of the finest speakers made.
Not everyone hears the same as Raul and some of those people have a lot of experience in the business.