[doug s.]

The CIA amps were so cheap, I thought what the hell? But they had already sold in record time.

I'm actually considering either the Nuforce V2 SE or a Red Wine 30.2 now....

if you are wanting a bargain, you should really consider the amps tim rawson makes/sells; he goes by rawsonte on a-gon.  or buy my (relatively) cheap hypex ucd180 amp that i took in trade & have no use for.     i have posted info/pics about it elsewhere on the a/c forum...

doug s.

Doug,

While I am not as high on the Mesa Baron (I bought one years ago from Srajan and never thought it was anything special) as you, I am in total agreement with you on buying something from Tim Rawson.  I have have two of his amps and they are excellent!!  While there are definitely DIY in the looks department, sonically they are up there and better in sound then many of the other SS amps I have had in house (CIA D-200's, Odyssey Mono Extreme SE's, and NuForce).

George

i think the mesa baron is the best push-pull tube amp going.  as it's so flexible, if you didn't think it was special, you didn't have it set up right w/your speakers!  

glad we can agree on the rawsonte amps, tho!  

now, for (relatively) spendy solid state, i would give this guy serious consideration (i would confirm from the seller exactly which iteration his amp is; they are all excellent, imo, but newer should command a better price.):

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1220904078

http://www.electrocompaniet.com/products/power-amp/aw120.html

Rated output power    
8 ohms    2 x 120 W
4 ohms    2 x 200 W
2 ohms    2 x 350 W

output impedance - <0.01 ohms  (!?!)
max. peak current - > 100a  (!?!)

doug s.

[woodsyi]

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

I would like to hear this one.

[zybar]

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

I would like to hear this one.

Come on up to Boston and you can hear all kinds of gear at my place.   aa

I sometimes feel like I have more gear than many local dealers!   

George

[doug s.]

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

I would like to hear this one.

rim, a bud of mine in upstate ny got one of the aleph clones (i dunno which one), & he loves it.  he prewiously had an aleph 3.  he's been threatening to send it to me; i am sure i can get him to do so.  but, they come up f/s relatively frequently - both new & used, & they always sell almost immediately - you could buy one, & easily sell it for what you paid for it, if you don't wanna keep it...

doug s.

[woodsyi]

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

I would like to hear this one.

Come on up to Boston and you can hear all kinds of gear at my place.   aa

I sometimes feel like I have more gear than many local dealers!   

George

One of these days, the Red Sox ticket office will call me and say that I got the tickets for the monster seats.  I will make sure I stop at your place then.  Thanks for the offer and you are welcome to stop by if you are in DC area.

[dweekie]

Which Rawson models do you have?  He seems to make quite a variety; I have one of his Gainclones. 

Aleph J clone

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

Both are Nelosn Pass designs and run pure Class A.

George

Thanks.  I'm planning on building up one of Nelson's First Watt F5 amps in the near future.  Having not heard any of his amplifiers before, I am excited to try one out.  His designs definitely have a great reputation.  

[woodsyi]

Aleph-X/XAJ (basically combines the X, J, and XA series attributes)

I would like to hear this one.

rim, a bud of mine in upstate ny got one of the aleph clones (i dunno which one), & he loves it.  he prewiously had an aleph 3.  he's been threatening to send it to me; i am sure i can get him to do so.  but, they come up f/s relatively frequently - both new & used, & they always sell almost immediately - you could buy one, & easily sell it for what you paid for it, if you don't wanna keep it...

doug s.

I will keep my eyes open for it but I tend to hang on to stuff I get rather than recycle.  May be I should sell some as I am running out of rooms to outfit.   

[muralman1]

I have first generation H2O Signature monos. They have been upgraded twice since, each time coming back more the winner. The thing about it's less powerful sibling, the H2O 100 is that this new model has benefited from all the upgrades administered to it's bigger brother. This is not to say the 100 still sounds better in some systems. I think the big H2O is way to powerful for most speakers. One thing is for sure, both amps can be vastly assisted through proper matching with wires and sources. Never has the adage, "What goes in comes out," been so correct.

I have heard the Butler in very good conditions. I don't know why, but the owner was way big into Tyco drums. From what I could tell, I was thoroughly impressed. I was still happy to come home to my own system.

[mca]

Looks like I will have a Spectron Musician III Signature edition MK2 (whew!) here in a few weeks 

[Zero]

MCA

The Spectron amplifier looks very interesting. I hope to take one for a spin someday soon! Meanwhile, I hope it works out for you.   

Muralman

While you are 100% spot on with regards to the Signature 100 having the benefit of maximizing on subtle refinements made to the circuit through time; it's biggest advantage is its A150 ICE module. This module eliminates the one issue even the latest generation 250's had; a somewhat sterile top end / upper mid-range. Raw power delivery aside; there is nothing the 250's can do that the 100 can't do notably better. And as far as power is concerned, well, you know how Henry builds things - the Signature 100 is stable down to nearly a short and can power virtually any speaker on planet earth. The Signature 100 in mono form is enough to satisfy those with highly demanding / resolving speakers that want to fill a big room with loud sound. The 250's are good amps, no doubt! You should be extremely satisfied with em'! But to those looking to step into H2O, the Signature 100 is where its at. It has nearly all the advantages of the Signature 250's, only with better sound quality and a much lower price.

[mca]

I'll have 30 days to try it out and see if I like it. One the other end of the spectrum, an Audiocircle member is coming by tonight with his Red Wine 30.2 to try out in the system.

[Zero]

MCA - I'd be very curious to read your impressions on the Sig 30.2! I ran the Sig 30 for a brief period of time and thought it was a spiffy lil' amp!