Shoot-out I would like to see - Berning ZH270 vs.

Me too :) Whoever is in the Chicagoland area and has the M-60's can perhaps bring them on over and we'll we could make an afternoon of it :)

I have heard both and for my ears, prefer the Atma-spheres. It would make for a very interesting comparison.

Since the M60's were also sold as kits, I would be very careful if you buy one. Make sure you find out the history of the amplifier and what modifications were done. You can contact Ralph and I am sure he can let you know the details of almost any amp he has sold.

I have heard some small improvements using NOS tubes in the Atma-sphere's, but I do not think it is truly necessary for your comparison.

Let us know how it turns out if you can pull off the comparison. If you cannot find anyone to do it, I have a couple of friends with the Berning's and also someone locally with the M-60.

What speakers do you have? If I have to do the comparison, I would like to try and have speakers like yours to use for it.

I would automatically go with the Atma-sphere M-60's, but I suspect they are going to be "space heaters". Correct?

The heat issue is what attracts me to take a look at the Berning. My current amp puts out a lot of heat and I assume the Atma-spheres would put out even more.

Assuming that the Berning and the M-60's were relatively close in sound, the heat factor becomes more important.

I will again mention that the Berning Seigfried is the amp to compare with these others. The ZH270 is a push/pull amp with feedback. The Seigfried is single-ended triode with no feedback. I know it is only 12 watts, but it will drive most reasonable speakers quite well.