hi rcprince,
as the owner of the most recent wersion of the melos ma333 preamp (the music-director), i humbly submit it *is* up to "that level" of equipment as the lamms. not that i'm biased, or anything! ;~)
melos used to be paired w/the pipedreams at shows like ces, before melos had financial diffiulty & stopped offering new product. also, according to melos' current owner, soundlabs speakers are a favorite w/melos-owners, as well as pipedreams. melos' current owner offers mods/repairs to melos gear, & is hoping to start manufacturing product in the near future. i, for one, hope they are succesful... :>) besides, the music-director, the sha-gold was an outstanding pre at its price-point of ~$2k, & is a bargain preamp at the ~$1k used-market price i've seen 'em being adwertized for, imho...
regards, doug