LOL. It was constructive. I was thinking "steampunk" for the D'Agostino, but it's very Royal Oak Offshore in its looks to put it into watch terms. Doesn't make it not a fantastic amp (which it is), but I'm having trouble with its looks. I'm more of a Rolex Daytona guy. To keep rolling with the watch analogy, the Esoteric is a bit like the highest end Apple Watch, technically fantastic kit. But something is missing.
I probably should give the Classe Preamp a try, but I just don't know anything about it. I kind of fell into the Classe monoblocks at a lightly-used, 50% off, situation and they are a known great match for the Bowers diamonds, such that Bowers (at the factory) unequivocally recommended them (privately, not as a company).
Can you tell me more about the Nagra HD you saw? It seems awesome, but $70K is making me puke.