The HCA-1500a is a nice amp for the money. It's significantly better than the HCA-1201 and the Adcoms you mention. To my ears, in my system, it compared favorably with a McCormack DNA-1. It has great control over the bass and isn't as harsh on the top end as some SS amps I've heard. However, there are smoother SS amps I would consider first like Odyssey Stratos or Belles 150A
