That's for sure, running direct from source to hybrid amp. Still, it puzzles me, and I am talking about brands where cost considerations are not priority in a usual sense. Besides, solid state amps like Gryphon or Swiss amps are just as expensive. Lamm claims in his interview that he overcame some but not all of the transistor's shortcomings, but he remains die hard tube man, even though his hybrid is basically solid state with one tube in the second stage, I think.