I have used the YBA passion integre for about 6 months now and am very pleased with its sound. I have no experience with the ML gear but I have a friend who runs their top of the line separates and they sound very good also with his Dynaudio Evidence Tempatation speakers.
As concerns the YBA integre, I think it's one of the more versatile ones out there offering dual outs (one for the highs and one for the lows ... this made a considerable difference in my setup BTW) so you can in effect almost truly bi-amp you speaker, instead of the regular bi-wiring available. In addition, this integre can be used as a stand alone amp (preamp bypassed via video-in mode) and this is where its greatest strength lies. I have found that its preamp is a little tame and rounded off in the highs providing extra warmth here which is not entirely natural. Furthermore, it tends to bloat up the bass as well, adding extra weight. These considerations should be taken into account for a source that is slightly bright in the highs or that has little but WELL articulated bass, otherwise it will boom in the room and overload it very quickly. The mids are very good even in the preamp section. Mine also offers XLR in but there is an alternate version that offers Phono in ... note these 2 are not interchangeable or upgradeable.
I also found that placing the YBA on Symposium Rollerblock series 2+, in double stacked configuration, has brought it to a whole new level as far a resolution, dynamics, transients, bass definition and depth, palpability is concerned. Therefore I highly recommend them.
In my system I use an Audio Aero Capitole MKII SE as my source and find that it's preamp is definitely better than the YBA preamp in the integre, therefore I bypass it. BTW, I also use symposium rollerblocks here ... they really make a difference.
Cheers
As concerns the YBA integre, I think it's one of the more versatile ones out there offering dual outs (one for the highs and one for the lows ... this made a considerable difference in my setup BTW) so you can in effect almost truly bi-amp you speaker, instead of the regular bi-wiring available. In addition, this integre can be used as a stand alone amp (preamp bypassed via video-in mode) and this is where its greatest strength lies. I have found that its preamp is a little tame and rounded off in the highs providing extra warmth here which is not entirely natural. Furthermore, it tends to bloat up the bass as well, adding extra weight. These considerations should be taken into account for a source that is slightly bright in the highs or that has little but WELL articulated bass, otherwise it will boom in the room and overload it very quickly. The mids are very good even in the preamp section. Mine also offers XLR in but there is an alternate version that offers Phono in ... note these 2 are not interchangeable or upgradeable.
I also found that placing the YBA on Symposium Rollerblock series 2+, in double stacked configuration, has brought it to a whole new level as far a resolution, dynamics, transients, bass definition and depth, palpability is concerned. Therefore I highly recommend them.
In my system I use an Audio Aero Capitole MKII SE as my source and find that it's preamp is definitely better than the YBA preamp in the integre, therefore I bypass it. BTW, I also use symposium rollerblocks here ... they really make a difference.
Cheers