A lot has to do with your amp. With my Gryphon Mephisto directly from my Emm Labs DV2, too edgy. To much of everything. With the Gryphon Pandora Pre, a much more refined presentation. Call it texture, more musical, all the familiar adjectives. For me in my system it was an easy call. Believe me, I wanted it to work directly from the DV2. I can see in some systems where directly can work but it depends on several factors.
