Opportunity:
Here is your opportunity to obtain a pair of some of the finest class A monoblocks available at less than half of their original retail price. These amps have been universally well-reviewed by professionals (see below) and real world users alike. I hate to see these go, but in these tough times, I can’t afford to keep them. Asking $2495 + Shipping & PP fees. Shipping to USA only.
Thanks for looking!
Specs:
Monoblock amplifiers rated at 70 Watts per Channel
Class A bias switchable to A/B
Voltage Gain: 26dB
Input Impedance: 47k
Dimensions: 9.25 × 20 × 9
Weight 42lbs
Designer: Wilson Shen
Price: $5,600 per pair
What the reviewers say:
Marc Mickelson - Soundstage
The Clayton M70 monoblocks embody the highest of audio virtues: they readily make you forget about them. They excel at recreating the heart of the music and thus make talk of their sound unimportant. This does not mean that the standard audio lexicon doesn't apply. The Claytons have extended treble and bass, are detailed but not etched, are wonderfully accurate components. What they are not is sterile--the term I would use to describe most of the solid state amps I've had in my system. The Claytons let you hear it all, but they always serve the music, not some oscilloscope's idea of what music should sound like…Glowingly positive reviews are problematic for reviewers. Write too many and you risk losing your credibility--after all, everything can't be the best. This said, the Clayton M70 monos, like the Timbre TT-1 DAC, are magnificent. They pair smoothness and punch, and deliver the heart of the music along with its visceral impact. They are incredibly balanced, exaggerating no part of the audio spectrum, and above all make you forget that they exist.
Clement Perry – Stereo Times
In summary, the Clayton M70s are a neutral, ultra-clean design slightly depleted of the ambient bloom one hears with the best of tubes. While you won’t get the "Howitzer" bass capability of the big solid state designs, bass definition and control belie the moderate, 70-watt power rating. (If you want to shake up the earthworms, then I’d pass if I were you.) However, played within their capabilities, presentation throughout is as natural as all get-out, and with great control. Pinpoint imagery is up there with the best I’ve auditioned. If you like to listen at modest to normal levels, there’s very little to fault here, and if I were in the hunt for a true musical transducer -- an amplifier of great merit for less than seven grand -- these would have to get a strong recommendation. They’re that good. And, they stand right up there with the big guns from Krell, Madrigal and Balanced Audio, at half the weight.
Larry Cox – Positive Feedback
(1) Balanced, (2) disappearing, (3) music, not "stereo," (4) reasonable bass, (5) expensive. These five attributes describe my impression of the Clayton M70s. The Claytons deliver a complete sound. With thirty more class "A" watts per channel than their little brother, the Clayton S40 stereo amp, my inefficient ATCs gained more bass. The top end was sufficiently extended that I never felt I was missing anything. The midrange exhibited no obvious honkiness or other exaggeration. I think this is the kind of performance many audiophiles search for in their homes.
Dave Clark – Positive Feedback
We never found the lower-powered M70s to be wanting in dynamics compared to the higher-powered Muses. They never ran out of steam. Music just rolled out of the speakers with a sense of effortlessness. The Muses are good, but the M70s are clearly several steps up the ladder. Last but not least, while the Muse may go lower in the bass and do so with more slam, the M70s do so with grace and ease. Listening to bass-heavy tracks with the Muses is always fun and captivating, but after the M70s, the Muses’ perspective may possibly be more "‘hi fi" than musical. The M70s are also deep and powerful, but they seem to have more control, allowing bass transients to be reproduced with greater harmonic "truthfulness." Bass instruments and notes just sounded more "real." Even with less rated power, the M70s sounded more powerful and controlled than the Muses. Incredibly well built, with sonics to match, the M70s are worth the asking price.
Victor Chavira – Positive Feedback
To conclude, the Clayton M70s belong to a rare breed of musical amplifiers that manage to sound tube-like while retaining the reliability, flexibility, and power transfer of transistor muscle amps.
