Hi Audiojerry,
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
No, I have not heard an Ampzilla. But I'm familiar with James Bongiorno's past designs, as he is an important icon in the amp design world, and recently, after a long absence largely due to serious liver illness, he said that '...nothing had changed in the analog amplifier design world'. I believe he is probably right.
I deduced from this that his new amp is a super tweak of past designs, perhaps with some of the upgraded components of the last decade such as Vishay Bulk Foil resistors, RelCaps, and a few other notables. I've seen the pictures of his amp - beautifully designed, assembled and made - but I ran my gimlet eye over the scenery and came to the conclusion his component quality wasn't much more than the AKSA. Knowing his past designs, indeed having built and listened to a few of the early ones, and knowing his component choices, I took a punt that the AKSA 100W would at least be in the same street.
Mind you, I won't say anything definitive. That's not up to me, I'm a sly old dog. I know well, having worked as a consultant in IT, that categoric statements invite challenges, and challenges always leave you with egg on your face. So, no categoric statements, no gloating or pronouncements of death at 30 paces, we just wait and let two guys whose egos are not directly involved negotiate the tests. I don't know Jim, and I note he sells Ampzilla, but I suspect if the AKSA were better he'd at least rank it equally. I do know George quite well, albeit from a long association on the net, and George will give me a very cool, objective and balanced view. This is, after all, exactly what we need.....
Cheers,
Hugh
