Price Paid:  $1150.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
Very heavy power amp. Huge transformer, 60,000 microFarads power supply. Lack of features: no XLR input, one pair of speaker, no variable gain. Gain 25.5 db.
The sound is exceptionally good. The highs are detailed AND soft. The mids are the best I ever heard. I thought that the SonoGraphe SA250 had "perfect" mids; well, the MF2250A is even better.
Detailed, fluid, wide and stable soundstage. The mids are so good that they attract attention, and I thought: ok, the bass are deep and precise, but this is not an amp for electronic music, the bass are too shy. Then, I tried a CD of Madonna. It is good, so good. The bass are strong and deep. Moreover, they are clear and don't mask the medium, like with a Parasound amp I tried a while ago.

Strengths:
Heavy, excellent sound, the best medium I ever heard

Weaknesses:
Lack of features (but is it a weakness ?)

Similar Products Used:
Adcom, Rotel, NAD, Parasound, Sonographe, Quad, Bryston, Creek

Price Paid:  $925.00 from demo unit

Summary:
Has the qualities of a good tube amp, except the bass goes deeper and tighter. It is also more neutral across the entire frequency range, with correct harmonics. It is the coolest running amp I have ever experienced, yet sounds nothing like most low biased solid state amps. There is no listening fatigue. You are drawn into the music. This amp is a steal at what they sell for on the used market.

Strengths:
Many. The parts quality is very high, and I'm sure that contributes to the good sound.

Weaknesses:
None that I can tell in its price class.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing else in this performance class. Head and shoulders above everything else ever in my system.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is an excellent sounding amp. It beats Classe Audio CAP-150 that I had a while ago. I did not know that until now Conrad Johnson makes good solid state gear. Buy with confidence! It just sounds right!

Strengths:
clarity, sound stage, tonal balance, good bass, sweet

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
BEL 1001 Mk 1, Classe Audio CAP-150

Price Paid:  $900.00 from Esoteric Audio Conce

Summary:
I wanted a solid state amp that had the best sound qualities of tubes and solid state combined. It needed to be an improvement over my B&K ST-202+ (which is very good in it's own right) and not cost a fortune. The Connie-J MF2250 fills the bill perfectly when purchased used. Hey, it's a steal at full retail even! Excellent build quality and very cool running. Expect this amp to last decades with next to no attention. For B&K owners who want to upgrade from their old amps without spending a fortune while improving on that tubelike character that the B&K ST series was famous for (no mosfet mist here!), you can't do better than the latest Connie-J MF series. The rave reviews are right about these amps. IT JUST SOUNDS RIGHT

Strengths:
Dynamic, tubelike midrange, clear and extended treble, correct timing, solid bass. The best of tube and solid state in a moderately priced amp. A real giant killer, just like the B&K ST series of the 80-90's.

Weaknesses:
No model yet in the 60W range for apartment dwellers like myself where 120W per channel is overkill. C-J needs a 50-60W per channel model in the $1500-$1750 range to extend high end sound down to those that cannot afford the $2495 price tag of the current MF2250A model.

Similar Products Used:
B&K ST-202+, Counterpoint SA100, Heath W-5M monoblocks

Summary:
This amplifier never fails to amaze me. I have been listening to a tube amplifier for 10 years now. When I started to put together a home theater the old VTL just did not cut the mustard. I needed an amp that would have the power of solid state without makeing me miss the shear musicality of tubes. This amp filled the bill perfectly. I enjoy listening to all my favorite CD's which have more slam and deeper bass without missing a beat when it's time to go to the movies. The build quality is top notch.

Strengths:
Sound, build quality.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Mark Levinson, VTL, Acurus.