Cary 805s or Atma Sphere M60s?

Honest1,
You`re correct, that why I limited my impressions to the Atmasphere(M-60 and MA-1) as I`m not familiar with the Joule or the Tenor OTL sound.

Pubul57 neatly sums it up, it will just come down to individual preferences.

I agree with Xronx opinion regarding some OTL amps, They certainly do have their good points, but ultimately come off on the thin and lean side of reality. I listen to live un amplified jazz quite often, and in my experience a very good SET amp gets closer to the true natural sound of instruments and the human voice. There`s an undeniable fullness and organic bloom/warmth the live music presents that seems watered down, at least with some OTLs(the diet coke version).SETs preserve more of the fundamental tone as well as the beautiful overtones present with acoustic instruments, at least to me.

I have`nt heard the Tenor OTL, just the Atmasphere models. I understand in theory, removing the output transformer should be an advantage, however SETs with good transformers just sound more real.
Best Regards,

Onemug,
That`s very interesting, of all the maggie threads I`ve read over the years 90% of the owners say these speakers require much power(usally SS amps) to really make them come alive. Your system must sound special with this unique combo.

Onemug,
I`d say on average 70-85db (depends on the CD) listening levels, I find that I can also listen at 55-60db range and maintain a good sense dynamics and lively energy with very good resolution and engagement.