Price Paid:  $850.00 from eBay

Summary:
I purchased these amps to replace a Jolida 302b I was using. Using what I had learned from Jolida, replacing the stock Chinese EL34's was a must, and I was able to get a nice matched octet of Sveltlanas from AES for about $120. I also used upgraded power cords. I originally purchased the amps to tweak with, as most of the wiring is point-to-point. When I opened the bottom plate, I was surprised to see MIT Multicaps and high-quality resistors (except one!!) throughout the unit. I was VERY impressed at the build quality. I have some Jensen oil-caps coming on the way, but this is mainly to satisfy my curiousity factor. The amps perform very well, even with my low 86dB sensitivity Vandersteens. Although I use them in triode mode for 90% of the time, it's nice to switch them to pentode mode when the "Metallica" itch presents itself. I listen largely to Jazz, and these monoblocs represent an incredible value. My system consists of the following: Nakamichi DVD player Cal Audio SigmaII with 24/96 upgrade Cary SLP-50B preamp (upgraded) ASL monoblocs Vandersteen 2Ci loudspeakers MAD silver ribbon cables

Strengths:
Nice dynamics. HUGE transformers make driving even poorly efficient speakers a breeze. Good slam even in triode. Build quality is excellent. 1/2" faceplates!! I'm picking the 5-star overall rating, because while there are certainly much better amps available, this pair was far better than I imagined.

Weaknesses:
Imaging is so-so, although I suspect my small room and large speakers plays a larger factor than these amps.

Similar Products Used:
Adcom s/s gear Counterpoint hybrid tubes Jolida tube integrated