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.

looney_tunes, how often do you re tube the Mesa? Are you using stock mesa tubes?

I've been using Mesa guitar amps off and on since the Prune Music modded Princeton days (a long, long time ago…*sigh*...), and I've found they are an amazingly high quality amp company. That Baron amp was simply ahead of its time, and I'd love to get one someday.  I prefer to not have attenuation pots in my stereo hifi rig but Mesa was also know for their clean punch…a Mark 1 Boogie if used clean (I had one with an Altec 15!)…master volume up with the preamp low…would strip the chrome off a trailer hitch from 30 feet, although just about everybody messed with preamp gain as otherwise it was simply too damn loud, and hey…ya gotta have grease in yer guitar tone. I use other tube amps for guitar currently (low wattage, class A, yada yada), but a stereo tube Mesa power amp, even with input pots, has to be a GREAT hifi amp…it just does. Compare prices of modern well made tube guitar amps with hifi stuff and its sort of a joke really, and one of those companies should cash in on the hifi thing as I bet they would make some killer stuff…and not have to do reverb and tone stacks…Mesa…Matchless…Fargen…Swart…Divided by 13…Burriss...make a little tube stereo amp…please.

Wolf,I have often thought the same thing .They could probably make a great stereo amp,that would sound better than most of the high dollar stuff we discuss here on A-gon.I wish they would give it a go as Mesa did !

Yeah man…I can’t recall any tube hifi amp that does what a Baron does in terms of features. Maybe we should start a "bring back the Baron" petition. As an aside, a couple of years ago I bought a barely used Burriss 18 watt, hand wired, made in USA, all class A (tube rectified…that’s supposedly important), all Mullard tubed EL84 driven spring reverb with tremolo guitar head for 500 bucks. Is it made as well as a Jadis or McIntosh? You bet yer --- it is. Does it sound good?...oh yeah…loudest and sweetest 18 watts I’ve ever heard.