Price Paid:  $2400.00 from Upscale Audio

Summary:
This review is for the Audio Electonic Six Pac Mono Bloc. This was my first tubed amp. Prior to to purchasing this product I was using a Counterpoing SA 220 hybrid amp. My Counterpoint is rated at 200 WPC, so naturally I was concerned about purchasing a 50 watt amp over the phone witout first hearing it. My fears were however unfounded. For $2,400 I have not heard an amp that compares to the overall quality of this product. After letting it break in for a couple of months, you have to wipe the smile off of my face every time I listen to it. The bass is tight, and well extended. Mids are to die for and the highs are very sweet. The soundstage is very satisfying. Imaging is good although not quite as precise as other more expensive amps I have heard. This amp has definately enhanced my ability to judge my other components. I had initially been using AQ Ruby interconnects and was somewhat disappointed with the high frequency performance. That disappointed immediately disappeared when I switched to Homegrown Audio Silver Lace interconnects. The highs are now very sweet. The bass also tightend up noticeably. The amp does get hot. You may not want to put it on the floor if you have young children or pets running around. As I said earlier, I am thoroughly pleased with this amp and look forward to purchaing other products from Cary.

Strengths:
tight bass, liquid mids, sweet highs

Weaknesses:
If you want to nit pick, imaging could be a little more precise.

Similar Products Used:
Counterpoint SA 220 Audible Illusion L1 EAD CD 1000 Meadowlark Hot Rod Shearwaters

Summary:
This is one great little amp! Mine came w/ the Svetlana KT-88 tubes and I found the soundstage to be incredible w/ these tubes. The top end detail is still excellent while the bass is so impressive that I have not used my Vandersteen subwoofer w/ this amp and am getting ready to sell the sub! My bass is punchy, deep, and articulate! Not at all what I thought I would get from a 15 watt triode amp? Who wouldda thunk it? The AES beats my old GTA SE-40 in every single parameter!
Since getting the amp I have played w/ various tubes. right away I pulled the stock 6922 for some various Amperex and Mullard 6922 tubes. for my present tastes I have settled on the Amperex 6922 US White label PQ. Brings out the top end detail a little bit better than the other NOS tubes while keeping the bass tight and the mids natural. I also pulled the stock 6CG7 current source tubes and found this a spot to tweak my other power tubes! When using the Svetlana KT-88 I prefer the Sylvania or Westinghouse 6CG7 tubes here as they are more open and transparent in the midrange keeping the big KT-88 tubes from getting too chesty in the vocals. However, when I insert some EL-34 tubes I much prefer the RCA Cleartops w/ side Square getter as these are more in line w/ the traditional "TUBE" sound and add character and body to the midband which can get kind of thin w/ EL-34.
My favorite power tube is yet to be determined. I have the GE 6550 arriving this week as well as the Amperex EL-34 w/ Double D getter. I heard the Chinese El-34 in this amp and loved the top end detail! The air surrounding the chimes and cymbals were astonishing! The bass was not as big and powerful as the KT-88 but was deeper aand punchier being a little more nimble and articulate. The vocals were a bit thin, but by inserting the RCA 6CG7 tubes and swapping out the Acoustic Zen MC2 digital cable for the Harmonic Tech Magic One I added the missing body and weight to the sound of the Chinese tubes. I have also briefly heard the Amperex El-34 Double D that a friend brought over and feel they share a lot in common w/ the Chinese tubes only a little better. Very impressive was the bass SLAM & PUNCH of the Amperex! These tubes made the AES push serious air!
Overall, I cannot think of a better amp for near this price range. I started to get the Conrad Johnsn MV-55 & boy am I glad I went for the AES instead! The CV would not allow me this tube flexability and would not even take an aftermarket power cord? I saved a bundle and think I got the better amp to boot? YMMV!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gear:
Silveline Sonatina on 6" Granite blocks w/ brass cones.
EVS Milennium 2 DAC
Theta DB II Transport
Melos Maestro Preamp
MC2 or Magic Digital
NBS Monitor IV/Pure silver connection R-30 IC
Somtimes HGA SuperSilver or Zucable Warmouth IC
Chimera Labs Advantage IC

Nordost Red Dawn to top post
Kimber Double run 4TC to bottom posts.

Power cords:
Gutwire G-Clef--preamp
BMI Eel/Synergistic Research AC MAster--Transport
Shunyata Sidewinder/JPS Digital AC--DAC
Marigo labs resolution/JPS Power PC--Amp

Strengths:
Takes many different power tubes,Great soundstage, Very strong articulate bass, grea tdetail across the band

Weaknesses:
Takes many differnet kinds of tubes will cost a fortune to satisfy my curiousity

Similar Products Used:
Golden Tube Audio SE-40 & various Solid State amps

Price Paid:  $700.00 from Audiogon.com

Summary:
Incredibly versatile and musical. EL34s sound almost solid state-ish but much smoother - very quick and tight. Chinese KT-88s (that come with the amp) are smooth, detailed, and simply speaking, beautifully musical. I'm looking forward to upgrading to Svetlana KT-88s someday but I'm in no hurry. The standard KT-88s sound amazing. Hard to believe it could get better - I can look forward to that. I'm pretty sure I've found the final amp and that I'll stay with this for a long while. Now it's time to work on the interconnects....

Associated equipment:
Sony SCD C333ES
Ensemble Digiflux 75 IC to
Monarchy DIP MkII to
Ensemble Digiflux 75 IC to
MSB Link DAC II to
-or- Kimber Hero IC from SONY SCD to MSB Link DAC II analog to
Kimber PBJs to
Classe CP-35 to
Nordost Blue Heaven XLRs to
AE-25 Superamp to
Analysis Plus Oval 9s to
Coincident Speaker Technology Conquest speakers

Strengths:
Beautiful music maker. Can try many different tubes to get the sound you want.

Weaknesses:
none?

Similar Products Used:
Previous amps were, NAD c340, B&K ST-140, Golden Tube Audio SE-40 SE (w/ Svetlana 6L6GCs), ODL HT-2

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Upscale Audio

Summary:
This amp is a dream come true, at $1500 for the Signature. I had been trying to get my Triangle Titus to sing and this amp is the match. This amp makes tube magic, not only that but it can help keep you warm. Sweet and liquid are the two words that come to mind (but not dark). This amp makes me want to listen to music on it even though it is not my main system. Buy it from Kevin and be blessed.

this system has
preamp; A.E.S. AE-3
SACD/CD/DVD; Sony DVP-S9000ES
Speakers; Triangle Titus xs
Subwoofer; PSB Alpha sub-5
Interconnects; JPS& Nordost
Speaker cables; Analysis Plus & Kimber

Strengths:
Soundstage, clarity, looks, value, fun, and musicality.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Amps I have owned include, Classe, Parasound, Rotel, Marantz, Arcam FMJ, Musical Fidelity and Antique Sound Lab.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Upscale Audio

Summary:
The SuperAmp AE-25 Signature completes my conversion to tubes, the Signature being a more powerful version of the SuperAmp. It replaces my Classe CA 100. When I auditioned the AE-25 I was prepared to pay considerable more but was immediately won over by the musicality, the clarity, and detail. Very rich tonal quality, musical is the best way to describe the sound. I heard midrange that was not there before, it just jumped out – a very full midrange, and overall there was more texture. I find the sound truly captivating. And of all the attributes it is the detail and tonal quality that I am most impressed with.

I changed the tubes from the Chinese KT88 to Svetlana KT88. This provided a big improvement -- a smoother silky sound.

The AE-25 vs. my solids state power amp gave the music more presents and tonal richness.

My speakers are M&K S1Cs rated at 89 dB, with a minimum power requirement of 10W, however the manufacturer recommends 50W. I have ample volume (more than I will ever use) for my taste in a room that is 18 x 30. I was using a Classe CA 100 and there is no downside to the lower power SuperAmp in my system. The S1Cs have a frequency response of 77 Hz – 20 KHz so I can’t comment on the bass because I use a subwoofer.

I listen to Jazz mostly and this has proven to be an excellent match. I have tried some Rock, Classical, and Vocals all of which sounded great.

System:
California Audio Labs Icon Mark II as a transport
California Audio Labs Alpha DAC
Cary Audio SLP 98 L preamp
Audio Electric Supply AE-25 SuperAmp Signature
M&K S1C Satellite Speakers
M&K MX-105 Powered Subwoofer

As indicated above, I purchased this from Upscale Audio and they are excellent to deal with. They try to understand what you want. They will relay candid information from other buyers and tell you if they think you are buying something that does may fit your criteria. Highly recommended.

Strengths:
detail and tonal quality

Weaknesses:
None