KarlDL invited me to his home this past Saturday for a comparison between Mono Extremes, Stereo Extreme, and Stereo+ (former is mine , older model, with green board). The source was a Marantz SACD, fed into a Tempest pre, with a beautiful pair of Silverline Sonata IIs downstream.
First off, let me say how excellent Karl's system sounds. His Silverline Sonata IIs really sing with all of the Juice from the Stratos. Secondly, it was a great learning experience for me. Karl is extremely knowledgable about music and electornics. I am very grateful for his hospitality and generousity.
The difference between the amps was audible, but subtle, and required a complex piece of music to bring out the difference. This was not the best A/B test as I kept asking Karl questions while he was setting up the various configurations, which increased the elapsed time between listenings. Also, I am just not a very good A/B listner. It takes me a while to relax to the point where I am really into the music, especially in strange surrounds. Regardless, this gave me the answer I was looking for. I think I have much bigger gains to me made by changing components upstream from the amps.
I also brought several CDs for the purpose of testing the musicality of the Tempest. These are CDs that my NAD receiver, serving as a Pre, does not handle well, but the MiniMax Tube Pre onloan from Morningstar handles very well. Specifically, Stacey Kent and Jane Monheit come across a bit harsh at times on the NAD. These are also typical of the music I listen to, so this was an important test for me. On Karl's system, everything was clear and very musical. No hint of fatigue.
As much as I like the MiniMax Tue Pre, it does not have an HT bypass, or a remote. I will mostly likely start working on acquiring a Tempest with HT bypass. I also will most likely keep the MiniMax CD Player. Hopefully, the CDP and the Tempest will be a good match.
Again, a big thank you to Karl for hosting the audition!