I have only seen one of these ("G" something, can't recall the exact name). Though this "upstanding" tube amp was directed/marketed towards the audiophile/budget group (per the press release) the specs seemed to be the same as a previous "horizontal" amp by the same company which was marketed/directed for PC speaker use and which retailed for less. When I asked the A'Gon dealer/seller of this item if it was the same electronics in another chassis, I received no response/reply. Guess this speaks for itself. Don't know if it would be possible to organize an efficient layout in this format as the heat generating parts (tubes, transformers and power supplies) would be competing for upper level placement as far as heat dissapation goes (this would also impact the length of the internal signal path cables I would think). Even with a SS amp this would seem to be problematic (to me anyway), though I am not very knowlegable in this area and this is just a layman's opinion. That said, for mono block power amplifiers there might be a nitch for this configuration (if the kinks were worked out) as many of the "new" floor standers with skinny front baffles might be more attractive (if nothing else) with such a thin and upright mono amp placed behind them (again for user's into exceedingly short speaker cables which is "part" of the joy of using mono blocks). This upright configuration also became popular in old stereo consoles (early 60's), though the "upright" was achieved only by looking down @ the faceplate which was now vertical instead of horizontal on the top of the unit, but this trend seemed to die out quickly (which means that it was probably just a different styling conceived in order to attract interest). As far as traditional racks go, good point, as I can see no way to incorparate such a design into mine, though since I use both tube amps and a TT on the same rack I am also in a bit of a predicament and may end up placing the tube amps above the rack (maybe on wall shelves) in order to keep the "heat" @ the top. In this case vertical amps (with a small footprint) might be a bonus). Being on a tight budget though my final deciding factor is always the sound and price (not ergonomics).
