Better than a CAT?

Robert,

How much sonic difference is ther between the JL2 and the JL3, other than power and possible seperation due to monoblocks?

Given an easy load with reasonable sensitivity, I think the JL3 would be overkill, it certainly would be with the Merlins. My view is that less power is always better if it is enough power to drive your speakers, almost always. I think it takes a lot of design ingenuity to get more power from the same basic circuit not sound worse, and that task is progressively more complex and more expensive.

Pubul57 has a good point, but in some cases the more powerful amps coast along so effortlessly that they sound more relaxed.

I owned VTL 750's and 450's and clearly the 750's were much better.

Hi, I am one of the guys that Pubul57 maybe refering to regarding the Ming DA 2A3 preamp. It replaced my CAT Ultimate and was better by a wide margin. Like any tubed gear, to get the best performance, tube rolling is necessary. I EXTENSIVELY rolled the CAT Ult and took it as far as I could with rolling and PC's, IC's. The Ming DA is in a different league. Pacificvalve.com is the sole (to my knowledge) US distributor. They offer a thirty day in home audition. You pay for the shipping and a 3% restocking fee. I think it would come to $150 to try.
The stock 2A3 Chinese tubes are not bad but the others should be rolled 6SN7 (3), 6922 (3), EL34 (1). I think the preamp costs $1250. Truly a giant killer. I still use the JL2. I wanted to buy a pair of Ming DA monoblocks but the only ones that I felt would be powerful enough to drive my Avalon Osiris were discontinued.

Bart

I owned the CAT JL2 and subsequently,the JL2 reference Signature. I compared it with the Music Reference RM9 Special, which was better in every respect. I sold the JL2 and bought the special, which Roger Mojesky sells directly for $8,000 and of which he only made 20. I consider myself very lucky to have found this gem. I've listened to more music in the last 6 months then in the last 5 years because listening has become a sheer joy, pure pleaseure. Whereas every amp I've ever owned let me listen to the music the RM9 Special let's me feel it. I plan to write a full review of this amp soon. Let me just say, I owned the Tenor before I bought the CAT. The CAT destroyed the Tenor. Similarly,the RM9 killed the CAT.