Thanks everyone for chipping in with your thoughts on this one. Re: the electricity usage, we live in a condo, and pay one 'common' fee, so I can use as much as I want and it's always the same cost- not that I am advocating wasting electricity, but it's not as if I would pay any more to have them on all the time.
I believe I have come to the conclusion based on research and testing different amps in my system that a well-designed set of tube monoblocks seem tough to beat for musicality, but it's great to see that some of you have found some magic with solid state- and I have also found that really well-designed SS amps can be extremely enjoyable.
A guy I trust has told me that the Aleph 1.2's are really fantastic amplifiers, and I was seriously considering them, but the responses seem to be unanimous (and Nelson Pass himself chipped in today when I asked him the same question)- these are not really meant to be '24/7' amps, due to the high electricity usage and class a heat production. Sounds like they would be excellent in a larger room/dedicated 2-ch system with medium-efficiency full-range speakers.
Once again- thanks so much to everyone who responded- this is an example of the why I find this an excellent informational resource and such a great community we have here at the 'Gon- good listening everyone!
