[Sasha]

Hello guys,
Can anyone with experience say what Fet Valve Ultra 350 or 550 sounds like in comparison to other SS amplifiers, is there a relatively well known amplifier that Fet Valve is similar to?
As an example, if one creates a group of amplifiers based on sound signature, and says that in one group you have amps represented by let’s say McCormack (very warm, slow type of sound), in second group you have amps represented by Bryston (clean, very open and fast sounding), in third group you have amps represented by let’s say Hovland (which are like nothing else, kind of harmonically rich with seductive sound), forth one represented by let’s say Halcro that excels in almost everything (right timbre, fast, great PRAT, open sounding), and so on, where would Fet Valve fall into?
I went through various forums but there is really not plenty of information available, so it is hard to make any conclusions.
I know about 30 day option, but paying for shipping, brokerage fees across the border, etc. is not tempting.

[2gumby2]

I own two Ultra 550s and an Ultra 350 and I've owned a McCormack Audio DNA-125 amp and I have two McCormack Audio RLD-1 preamps. I certainly wouldn't describe the McCormack amp as "very warm, slowtype of sound". I thought it sounded well balanced and very pleasant. I prefer the AVA amps because they have more current capability and I think the build quality on AVA equipment is really outstanding. I also prefer the plain appearance of the AVA gear. You really get what you pay for with AVA. High quality, high value, and good service from Frank Van Alstine.

I have 6 different 2-channel systems in my home and I've decided to sell some of my gear to fund other projects. My Ultra 350 and one of my McCormack Audio RLD-1 preamps is for sale if interested. Just send a PM for details.

[warnerwh]

This will depend on your tastes and system.  In my system the AVA 550exr5 I use on my mids and treble is excellent.  Just because and amp may cost  one, two or several k more certainly doesn't mean it will be better.  If so it would be slight or so little that spending the extra cash wouldn't be worth it to most of us imo.

This Fetvalve amp has a smooth, rich and full bodied sound compared to SS amps.  It's quite slight but enough to clearly make a significant improvement.  A perfect match for my Vmps RM 40's which have planar mids and a ribbon treble.  After trying a several SS amps and not getting anywhere I thought I'd try a hybrid. Bingo!  The tubes I use are NOS Mullards which are more rich/full sounding than the stock tubes.

SS amps on my speakers I feel sound too thin and sharp to me. The Fetvalve 550 is exactly what I needed.  Frank's customer service is excellent. Build quality is excellent.