Price Paid:  $1400.00 from eBay

Summary:
Overall I feel that this is one of the finest vintage amplifiers produced during the heyday of the high fidelity era of the early to late 1960's. Among the contenders were the venerable Marantz 8 and 8B, the Harman Kardon Citation II, Marantz MC275, Dynaco ST 70, and all the others. It is an extremely powerful, beautifully designed amplifier, and in my opinion outshines them all. If you can find one, pick it up. the price on these continues to soar along with all the other comperable gear from the era. The ELL80 and the 8417 are both getting harder and harder to obtain and are no longer in production, so better stock up on an extra set of tubes or two as well.

Strengths:
The overall authority this amp exhibits, from the top octave to the bottom and everything in between. Just music, the way it was recorded. No signature sound, other than the warmth and realism that is thre in recordings that were done right. Not analytical, but not warm and fuzzy either, just solid and true from top to bottom. It is also a beauty to look at. That nice champagne colored potted transformers, complimented with a nice clean layout. Just stunning, but at the same time understated. The KX-200 is a great little amp, the 400 500 series and the 800 series recievers all exhibit similar characteristics, as do the 80 AZ and the 300 and 300B, but this SA-1000 is just something special. Gt one if you can. Reeplace as few components as necessary, and if you must don't go for the high end esoteric caps and other parts. Stick to orange drops and anything close to the original so you don't strip away the magic. Too many people with good intentions do just that, they rob the soul of the piece.

Weaknesses:
The tubes are getting hard to find and are getting EXPENSIVE! Plus, I've watched the price for this amp increase 50% in the last year or so..Other than that, none...

Similar Products Used:
VTV rebuilt Marantz 8 (close but no Cuban), Jim Mcshane rebuilt Citation II, Various Fisher amps and receivers, Dynaco ST70, Hafler DH500, 220,200. P500. P230 (all great SS amps) Bryston 4B, 7B STs, Luxman M2000, Harman Kardon 19, Technics Sa series SS receivers, Concept receivers, Fisher SS receivers, Yahama recievers, Modern Denon, Sherwood, Sherwood Newcastle.Eastern Electric, I truly have searched for the Holy Grail without spending meeeegaa bucks.

But DIY speakers are where a lot of the journey needs to be spent.