so just a quick follow up on initial impressions of the Class D Audio GaNfet I bought. It's a very nice amp with loads of power and a clean sound. For my main system, however, I still prefer tubes. While it's louder and more powerful than my SET amp, it also feels colder and less emotional in the vocals and though it has a nice tight bass, it is not a bass heavy as my 842 tubes. But I don't think comparing a $1k amp to a $10k amp is really fair. I would probably take this amp over most of the used 100lb, 200 watt monster A/B class amps outs there that populate craigslist and facebook market place. The sound is pretty competitive with the majority of mid-level audiophile solid state amps produced in the last 50 years with much less weight, space, and power needed. I have it powering my klipsch outdoor speakers now (as I always figured it would) and they sound fantastic. (I was previously using a McIntosh Mc2200 on them and the sound is very comparable). It's a great amp for mid-level gear and social situations where the music needs presence but isn't the center of attention. But for those of us who like to sit alone and play our favorite music in a listening session, I don't think it competes with real top level tube gear, particularly SET amps. Besides the vocal tonality it also lacks the second order harmonics that many of us consider the "magic" of tubes. So a good amp, maybe even a great amp, but not necessarily a tube killer. Of course this is just initial impressions and I plan on A/Bing it a bit with other amps, particularly the McIntosh when it comes back from the shop.
