The 23.5 is a great amp. It was one of the best solid state amps (If not the best) that I ever owned (and I've owned alot). it's not really fair to compare it directly with a great tube amp without taking into contex speakers and personal taste. Tube amps tend to have warm, natural midranges and do wonderful things to vocals. Solid State tend to have great dynamics, sounding very powerful and offering great bass. These are just generalizations though and any amp's sound will rely on many factors. While as a general rule I prefer tube amps, right now I am using a Bryston 4B ST. This is a good solid state amp that better suits my current speakers the the tube amp I had last. The ML 23.5 is great!
