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Submitted by
abcxyz
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: October 5, 2010
Bottom Line: After demoing a number of amps overtime in my home, the Decware 34I, Cary SLI-80, Rogue Cronus, and Jolida 302B, my favorite is the 1003DT. It has the speed, realism, more neutral sound that Iiked from the Decware gear with some of the tonality of the Cary SLI-80 but the ASL has more punch with 30 WPC in Class A mode than the 12WPC of the Decware which is a SET amp. The Cronus was the most powerful amp but too much on the warm side for me while the Jolida 302 was the sweetest of the bunch but the bass was wooly sounding in comparison to these amps and the music sounded just a tad slower. I think that to appreciate any amp, I need to compare it to others so that its sonic features can stand out so I mention other amps here as a comparison not to disparage them in any way. I have gladly own each of these but I like the ASL 1003DT the best. I had the ASL with the remote first before obtaining all these amps one by one in my home and eventually, decided on getting it again and got one on sale from Upscale Audio. It has chrome on top and a black faceplate but no remote. It was probably a trade-in and an early model. Also, I changed the output tubes to JJ KT77s, and input tubes to 12AU7 Radiotechniques also from Upscale Audio.
Finally, i agree with the 2 other reviewers that it is an uncolored sounding amp, sweet in the midrange as tubes would be, and I would just add that it has speed which not all tube amps seem to have. Also, the bass sounds believeable (natural). The ASL 1003DT drives my Vandersteen 1Bs just perfectly!
Strengths:
The amp gets better with better tubes. The original output tubes are warm and sweet in the mids and have pretty good synergy with them and Mullard 12AU7s as input tubes. So, by changing the input tubes first, you get the most dramatic improvements in sound and for the least amount of money. Tonality, warmth, good timing, and good natural sounding bass (not wooly sounding).
Weaknesses:
No remote if that is a showstopper for you. The first ASL 1003DT that I owned did have the remote but it fell apart in my hand one day and sometimes it would not work unless I close and directly in front of the amp. So, careful what you wish for!
Used product for: 3 Months to 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2002
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Submitted by
Chris Ames
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: July 11, 2007
Bottom Line: This amp is one of the best values around. With the right tube complement it can go shoulder to shoulder with far more expensive gear. After rolling numerous new production and NOS tubes, I settled in on running Russian Cryo-Valve EL-34s manufactured by SED. Vintage Mullards would be ideal, but four matched NOS Mullards would be very costly. For preamp tubes I use NOS RCA Cleartop 12AU7s from the 1960s. These are still relatively inexpensive. Since preamp tubes have far longer life than power tubes, this is the way to go in my view.
The amp has a surprising amount of headroom. It can drive 6 Ohm speakers, but they should be relatively efficient. The ASL seems to work best with bookshelf speakers. I have coupled it with Klipsch Hereseys sucessfully, but I find that it works best with my JBL L20Ts. These speakers are another great bargain and can be had for $200 on ebay. In the future I intend to replace the JBLs with some Harbeths of the same size. My larger JBL LSR6332 were absolutely inappropriate for the ASL tube amp.
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
Product model year: 2002
Purchased At: Audio Advisor
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
dennis
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: September 1, 2004
Bottom Line: This tube integrated Blew away my $5500 worth of DNA1 and Classe model 6 front end..........If your interested in listening to MUSIC instead of Equipment then you've got to hear this baby....it's a whole new experience listening to music ...real lifelike music for under a grand.......my Alon lotus elite's SING, I mean really SING...I'll probably never go transistor again........They're great for computers but TUBES make MUSIC.....
Used product for: 1 to 3 months
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
Product model year: 2004
Purchased At: st cecilia's sound g
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