Price Paid:  $2000.00 from Llano

Summary:
I purchased Trinity from Randy about 18 months ago, paid US $2,000 for it and received the amp about 3 months later. I was not entirely happy with the results so called Randy and he told me about an upgrade he could do on the amp, and that for the type of performance I was expecting from my system it would be best if I bi-amped (and used 2 of his amps). he went into his whole pitch on how nothing out there for the price or 2 times the price would beat his amps, and the countless number of customers who have used his amps are happy as pigs in doo doo. He told me to send him back my original amp and he would upgrade it (I would have to pay for shipping) and that he would build me a 2nd matching amp for US $2,000 and this would provide me with optimal performance. About 4 months later I received the first amp and the interior was damaged (transformer had a tear in it) and only one of the 2 channels of the amp worked. He insisted that the damage was caused by Fed Ex (the shipping company) I was puzzled since there were no problems with the packing cartons or the exterior of the amp or the feet. Anyway he told me to send it to him and he'd fix it. Then I got the 2nd and and it had the SAME problem---again he blamed the shipping company and again told me to send it to him for repair. Now the best part. Once he received the 2 amps he told me they were damaged beyond repair (and again, when I had received them one channel did not work, but both amps were cosmetically in perfect condition and the only problem they had internally was the power transformer--same problem on both amps). Anyway, he then tells me this is my problem and I have to follow up with the shipping company myself (Fed Ex). I talk to Fed Ex both in the U.S. and in Hong Kong and they both tell me that Llano did NOT insure the product and there is nothing they can do about this--I have to get my money OR the products back from the manufacturer. So right now, after countless communications back and forth between myself and Llano AND myself and Fed Ex, I am out about US $5,000 (products and shipping) and have nothing (not even damaged products in hand. the moral to this story is do business with reputable business's, not one man show "here today, gone tomorrow" type of companies. While it may be tempting to go the route I did, it is a BIG gamble

Strengths:
cheap price

Weaknesses:
unreliable, difficult to contact, you can only deal with them directly and if you ever have a problem you are likely hung out to dry

Similar Products Used:
Rogue Magnum 120 mono's

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from Local dealer

Summary:
If it beats Krell which I have tried and it sounded very two dimensional. This amp is just perfect and it is easily upgradable to a hybrid but after screwing around with tube amps this is most enjoyable as you still receive the same sound and better punch and detail without all the hassles if anyone would build a tube amp and have great service that would be different. Will give Rogue a thumbs up, VTL and Granite - junk IMHO> which I bought and lost money.

Strengths:
Build quality and sound as some tube enthusiasts state it is as close as you can get to warm tube sound and soundstage.

Weaknesses:
None that I can find

Similar Products Used:
Rogue Audio; VTL IT 85, Granite audio. VTL and Granit were junk and try to deal with them directly L Manley has the ego the size of Texa and Granite audio builds inferior products. Paid and extreme amount and received two bad amps and no customer service, they will be out of business I am sure.

Summary:
For starters, the unit I am reviewing here is the new Trinity Amplifier (sx-2). I'm too stupid to figure out how to post a new amplifier model on this "new and improved site" so I figured I would post the Trinity review here. Anyway, I have heard many people compliment Randy White's business ways and his amplifier designs and fortunately my experiences with him fell in line with all that I had heard. The guy takes the time to answer questions and give you the info that you ask for. Randy is reliable when it comes to getting your questions answered. That is a big plus when dealing with such a small company.

As for the amp, out of the box the unit is a solid and plainly sophisticated looking amplifier. As with most all amps it is easy to set up and start using. One asthetic feature that I like is the small blue "cyclops" light on the front panel. Very attractive looking.

This is a hybrid amp (tube output) and I immediately found the sonic benefits of the hybrid design. The hi's and mids were perfect---they were clear and airy and simply sounded great. Also, the integration between hi's mids, and bass is seemless. The bass goes down LOW, is very clean, powerful and dynamic. Overall the sound this amps produces is glorious. Over the past 4 months I have listened to lots of amplifiers, and for my tastes the Llano Trinity amp does everything the right way for a price that is definately reasonable.

Strengths:
overall presentation of sound

Weaknesses:
not well known, no remote switch on

Similar Products Used:
Levinson 23.5, Levinson 333, BAT VK 500, Classe Omega, ARC mk 100

Summary:
I have been looking at amps for quite some time.With this Llano, I finally found an amp that offered a reasonable improvement over my McCormack DNA-1 deluxe, and at a sane (somewhat) price. I tried some of the big Krell's and Levinson's, very good yes - but I wouldn't have purchased these at 1/2 the asking prices. The Llano is absolutely on par with these amps. In fact, I would rate its ratio of retrieval of detail against being too analytical as better than the Levinson 332.
A caution about Llano however -- you must be patient with these people. Based on my experience, they will deliver as promised, but it may take a little longer than anticipated. I waited about 4 weeks for my amp after we had made the $ transaction. Its just a small organization.
The bottom line is that I thrilled with this amp. I got a fantastic amp at a very fair price. If you are looking at high-end SS amps, give Llano some thought. I'm glad I took the risk. Definite 5 stars.
System:
Aerial 10Ts
Wadia 23
Krell KRC3
Transparent & XLO interconnects
JPS vs Transparent speaker cables