Pass Labs INT-150
Brief/incomplete history of gear owned:Proton Receiver, Carver Receiver, Teac Receiver, Parasound Halo Stack, Plinius 9200, Aesthetix Janus/Bat VK-250SE
Gear auditioned: Sim i-5, Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista, Musical Fidelity A308, Musical Fidelity KW500, Jeff Rowland Design Group Concerto, BAT VK-300SE, Krell 400i, Pathos Logos, Audionet SAM, Blue Circle CS integrated, Burmeister Rondo, McIntosh 6900. (partial list)
Sure, you can get better sound if you spend a lot more. I'm sure you could spend less and get close, hell, maybe even a tad better. But in terms of the total package--sound, build quality, and looks--I personally think this is a home run. I listened to Aesthetix Janus with Pass 250.5 and it was only slightly better, which is something considering together they're $13,000. Yes, that includes a good phono pre, but even if you pay full retail for Pass (most dealers give a good break off list) you could add a great phono stage and still come in under $10,000. All things are obviously system dependent, but I can't think of many circumstances where I wouldn't recommend the Pass (in a HT environment, maybe, or if you absolutely need a crap-load of power and 150 doesn't do it). YMMV