Why not just build the 55 as a trial? I was in the exact same boat as you but, I needed a little more power. So, I got the 100W with all options and paid Hugh to assemble the circuit boards.. and a few other goodies.. People on this board told me to go for it and if I didn't like it, I could sell it here. I had nothing to lose at that point.
In any case, I recently took the amp over to a guy's house where he, another guy, and myself listened critically in a controlled environment. Both of them said they were going to buy one. We compared it to a Sunfire which was a nice amp. It was in the hundreds of watts... and to my ear, the AKSA did more things right. The Sunfire had a lot of gusto but, the AKSA had the finesse. The music was just sweet on the AKSA.
I'm putting together as much experience as I can to write a good review. I'm waiting on my DAC to be upgraded before I give it the final review in my own system. I will hopefully have a few others take a listen before too long. It will be interesting to see what they say.
I love the amp. It does everything right. It's relaxed, beautiful, musical, and thoroughly enjoyable. It's made me start appreciating records again. It's brought my system to life.
Also, Hugh provides top notch support. As you can see, he's active here... but, also responds to questions quickly and effectively.
However, if the reviews aren't enough.... I'd love to travel to Thailand. You buy the ticket, I'll bring the amp!
-Carl
