Hello again,
I thought I would provide an update on the quest for the amp and preamp for my wife. She is going to directly compare AVA gear with the Parasound gear. That's right - a shoot out. In one corner the Parasound P3 and A21, in the other the AVA Ultra SL Hybrid and Fet Valve Ultra 350. We talked to Frank a few days ago and placed the order and let him know our intentions. He did not seem worried at all.
We will run this with two different sets of speakers - her new PSB Image 6 (I think that is the correct model) and also my venerable Infinity Kappa 8 (originals), with newly refoamed woofers. The latter will provide a good test of difficult impedance load at high current. My current Omega 3 in a Hafler xl280 shell has driven these without complaint for years.
The event is about 6 weeks out. Frank's stuff just isn't run through wave solder machine, it is handcrafted by hardy artisans (hardy because the high temperature up there now is 2 F) and takes a bit of time... as does home made bread.... and home brew (which is another of my hobbies).
I'll report back our findings, maybe even take a few pictures and post them.
Thanks again to all of you who took the time to weigh in with your opinions and ideas.
G E