My last pre-amp, Rowland Capri or Ayre K5xe ?

I said my last preamp would be my Pass X1.
I tried the BAT VK31SE. It actually sounded better than the X1 on single ended sources. The X1 did beat the BAT in my system with a balanced source (Electrocompaniet EMC-1up). It had a wider soundstage.
Then I tried a Pass XP-10. No contest. Another level of detail.

Just my nickels worth of advice get a Klyne and be done with the search. Stan Klyne will build it to suit your needs.

Can't compare the Capri and the Ayre. But I can tell you that I thought the Capri was just as good, but different than the Pass XP20. Both really superb pre-amps.

Well then here's a biased opinion , I haven't heard an Ayre component I didn't like . I bought Ayre's KX-R preamp after owning ARC's Ref 3 and Levinson's #320s and could not be happier . I doubt it's the last preamp I'll buy , but I won't be parting with it anytime soon . Good luck in your search .

Dear Roscoeiii, The thing that really bothers me about the Pass X2.5, is that the volume settings are too coarse. A lot of the time the volume is too loud or too quiet.