For me it was a surprise and a revelation. I have owned Kora 100SB Triodes, Aleph 1.2's(extended audition), Nestorovic Alpha -1's and NA-1 (simultaneously in a biamped Legacy Whisper system), Spectron, Viva, NIRO (integrated, extened in home audiotion(1.5 months)) and too many more to name. I would not have believed it had I not heard it with my own ears, but the best amp I have heard (bar Tube Research Labs) is the ART SLA-1. This is a pro piece of gear that retails for a scant $280.00 (can commonly be had for a little less than $200.00 on the street). Now I know how we Audiophiles are, as soon as we see the promise of gold for the price of tin, we turn our attention. This is probably why it took me months to finally break down and try it. Cold out of the box it shames almost all high end amps I know of and I have heard all of the common high end audiophile amps. With the Mod ($500.00) forget about it. I am done amp shoping. If anyone else has tried it I would like to know your thoughts.
Best regards,
D911 |
