Mesa Boogie Strategy 400

I have use many tube amps costing over $10,000. The Messa is the amp that keeps getting put back in my system. I have re-tubed the Messa with all factory tubes and really like the overall sound. The other amps I compare it to are the Esoteric Audio Research E.A.R. 509 mono blocks that I have. The EAR is similar in that it was a studio grade amp for ultra high-end studios and home systems. The messa is an extremely detailed amp with zero listener fatigue. Bass is tight with plenty of power to spare. Mids are holographic in their staging. Highs extend well beyond the range of most speakers, never loosing their precise detail and sense of air and space. I had the amp gone though by a local tube amp audiophile guru. He really liked it because the design was so robust and bulletproof. Other that hot summer days I run it with the fan unplugged and the top off naturally ventilated. The amp typically run in the 1 to 2 watt range at "normal" listening levels, seldom lighting the power indicator leds on the front. But is you want to play to the neighbors two blocks away... you have the power to reach that level. The mods my Guru did removed the mono bridge jack wiring. He also replaced a failed diode and installed home style speaker connections. This is a tremendous value for a world class, high power tube amp. Let's keep it a secret.
The speakers I use it with: Newform Research R45 (45" long ribbon type tweeters and dual cone 6" base drivers) Martin Logan ReQuest large panel electrotatic with 12" bass drivers. Cary Silveroak speakers. Various demos speakers. For my ear a good preamp is my Modwight. For reference the messa can be run with no preamp using the volume attenuators on the amp.