Strengths: Very clear, very punchy, surprising bass for it's size, reasonably extended highs. The look is FANTASTIC.
Weakness: To my ear it sounds congested and not very pleasant. To be fair, I have always been a TUBE guy and I value nuance and relaxed sound.
Bottom Line: This is built to particular sonic taste. I think that some will love it, and some will find it unacceptable. I think that people who generally find they prefer tube gear over transistor are the type that will not be able to live with this.
Not all transistor gear is unacceptable to me, not by a long shot. I LOVE the sound of my Monitor Audio iDeck - also stereo, separate speakers, not nearly as cool looking as the A2, but it sounds NATURAL. Not quite as clear as the A2, nowhere near as punchy as the A2, probably lacking in bass compared to the A2, but it just has a natural sound that grabs me.
So the A2 is VERY worth trying out. 30 day money back guarentee, if you are one of the lucky ones that LOVE it, then I envy you.
Weakness: To my ear it sounds congested and not very pleasant. To be fair, I have always been a TUBE guy and I value nuance and relaxed sound.
Bottom Line: This is built to particular sonic taste. I think that some will love it, and some will find it unacceptable. I think that people who generally find they prefer tube gear over transistor are the type that will not be able to live with this.
Not all transistor gear is unacceptable to me, not by a long shot. I LOVE the sound of my Monitor Audio iDeck - also stereo, separate speakers, not nearly as cool looking as the A2, but it sounds NATURAL. Not quite as clear as the A2, nowhere near as punchy as the A2, probably lacking in bass compared to the A2, but it just has a natural sound that grabs me.
So the A2 is VERY worth trying out. 30 day money back guarentee, if you are one of the lucky ones that LOVE it, then I envy you.