After becoming disenchanted with the Marantz PM17 (mostly at lower volume levels), I started looking around for other amps. When I heard this pre/power combo I was stunned.
In an A/B comparison with the Storm 2 (integrated amp), it immediately struck me as being slightly dull. But very quickly, the pre/power combo managed to distance itself from its younger brethren. The Storm 2 lacked cohesion and control, with the treble being quite rough in comparison.

The Hurricane2/Tornado2 impressed me with an amazing vocal quality that drew me deeper and deeper into the music. It then struck me that the sound wasn't dull - cymbals and hi-hats had a wonderful 'metallic' sound, the treble being very precise, without shouting at you like so much audio equipment can.

Needless to say, I bought the combo (a week ago) - and I haven't stopped listening to them yet (it's been a long time since audio equipment has had that much of an effect on me!).

System:

Marantz CD-17
Yamaha TX-580 Tuner
NAD 533 Turntable
Talk Electronics Hurricane 2 / Tornado 2
B&W CDM1SE
Nordost Super Flatline Gold speaker cable
Nordost Blue Heaven interconnects (CD -> pre, pre -> power)
Van Den Hul D102 III (tuner -> pre)