Stereophile, Pass Integrated and personal taste

I wonder now many of us really are qualified to judge which designer is at the top of the heap or not. The Berning designs are light years better than the Pass products I have heard or owned to my ears. And yes I have owned designs from both. Rave reviews mean less and less as this industry gets smaller. Nelson is an interesting cat and a great designer, which means nothing if you dont like the sound of his products as much as the designs from some neanderthal designer. 

doug,
I am using Ascendo Model M speakers with a Zesto Deluxe phono stage, Berning ZOTL One preamp, VAC Phi 200 amp and Zesto stereo amp. I use a Merrill-Williams turntable with a modest arm for the time being. I have just ordered  a Mu-Tech Hyabusa cartridge. Cabling from Analysis Plus, Bionics and Inakustik.  

Berning used to make a Quadrature amplifier that some have used with the older Apogees with supposed great success. But I dont think this amp is in production any longer. Having just heard the Kings at shows I am not familiar with this load. What I have heard has impressed me a great deal and under different circumstances I would consider this speaker line as a possible for my room. There are several European S.S. amps that I think better the Pass in every conceivable way. Apples to oranges though as these are much more expensive. 

My favorite amps under the right circumstances are OTLs, but it is hard to let the amp dictate the speaker design.