@Doggiehowser
The construction of the Karans are obviously different to a "traditional" Class-A design, as explained below(source: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/asi4/3.html):
"All Karan power amplifiers are characterized by a continuous sliding bias control. This is unlike the sliding bias used by Krell. Krell raised and lowered bias in predetermined steps like Mayan pyramids. In Karan designs an electronic circuit measures the incoming signals amplitude. If there's need for additional output power, the current on the power rails which supply the class A output transistors is raised instantaneously. When the input amplitude goes down again, the bias follows suit. This way the output transistors always obtain the right amount of current and the operational temperature of this hugely powerful class A amplifier remains luke warm even when driven very hard."
I can't tell how this might influence the character of the sound, but it seems like a very clever design with the benefits of less power consumption, (much)less heat and the possibility of a more compact(well...:) enclosure.
