While the Forte' is a far more refined amp that is "more powerful" than its' ratings would lead one to believe, i would probably stick with the B&K. While the Forte' might work better for Classical and jazz, it will not come across as having the "drive" that the B&K tends to produce, especially when being pushed harder. The 1A is much more open and airy sounding but does not have the "warmth" or "body" that the B&K does. As to the B&K amp, it can be made into a very good sounding amp due to the VERY simplistic design. Even with the limited parts count that are in these amps, you can get rid of another 10% of them due to lack of necessity and sonic degradation. Upgrading the input cap makes a BIG difference and bypassing the the power supply caps also helps to clean up and open up the top end. Sean
>
