I recently had a chance to hear a pair of fully broken-in X5s driven by the Atma-Sphere S30 and the Atma-Sphere MP3 preamp. The sound was phenomenal, and I use that word literally, not as a general intensifier; I mean the sound was literally a phenomenon to me, something I had not experienced before. And, as I suppose something can be phenomenally bad, let me be absolutely clear: I mean phenomenally good. At this point, I find myself slave to all the generic and woefully inadequate metaphors typically used to describe the sonic experience: the highs were clear, extended, and detailed, yet never fatiguing; The mids were rich and sonorous without any sense of bloom or over-saturation; the bass was deep (duh) as you (or at least I) could wish, extended (I use this word with no confidence as to what it actually means in reference to sound - let's say the sound that reached me was powerful, visceral, and full of subtle harmonics), and, compared to the unbroken-in X5s I'd heard before, seamlessly integrated with the other drivers, with no sense of the mids and highs simply riding on top of the bass. The sound was, in a word, gorgeous. I realize that words like gorgeous, lush, rich, etc, can be and have been used pejoratively in describing tube sound. All I'll say is, in no way did I experience the S30 or now mean any these words in the negative. The music was gorgeous, lush, rich, deep, but also clear, detailed, revealing, and, most of all, moving. While the soundstage was broad and distinct, with the instruments located in their proper places, the sound was not, strictly speaking, located anywhere. It was the sonic equivalent of being in a planetarium. If I had to use one word to describe it, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, it was atmospheric. Finally, this wordy panegyric aside, listening one time to this combination of speakers and amp caused me to order a pair of X5s and, once I have the means, to order the S30 as well. And, really, when it comes to praise, putting your money where your mouth is is what it's all about.