Hi audiowhore,
Yes, the Signature 16's tube buffered preamp outputs are really good. At one of the shows this year, I used it feeding
directly into the Liliana Monoblocks (so we could switch between the amps when attendees wanted to listen to one or
the other) and a handful of people were scratching their heads because the Sig 16 makes for a great preamp for just under
$2k.... with the BONUS of a speaker output stage

Kent is correct - once you get closer to 100 hours, it's going to gel for you. The Avantgardes are super revealing and probably
let you hear the changes through the burn-in process.
Thanks for posting!
Vinnie