Macallan25, I'm a great fan of the Atma-Sphere amplifiers. I haven't heard the CAT in some time so I won't try to offer any specific comments here; hopefully someone else will be able to make a specific comparison.
The Atma-Sphere gear is very neutral, very fast, and very detailed yet with the naturalness and timbral accuracy for which one values high quality tube equipment. They deliver a quickness and transparency of sound that is exceptional to my ear. When matched with appropriate speakers, the bass authority, detail and agility of the Atma-Sphere amps improve upon some of the best solid state amps I've heard, while delivering what tubes do best: extremely natural and harmonically accurate reproduction of acoustic instruments. You will not find any added "classic tube" warmth or richness with a Atma-Sphere product to counteract a too lean or astringent system, but what you will find is exceptionally detailed, transparent, harmonically natural and timrally accurate sound.
In my case, I use and love the Atma-Sphere MA-2s, but with another preamp. Springbok10 uses the Atma-Sphere MP-1 with his Atma-Sphere MA-2s and you can read his review of the MP-1 with his MA-2s and what he found to like about the combination (hint: he liked the combination a lot). Texasdave uses the MA-1 with the MP-3. He's not posted about his experience that I know of, but you contact him through Audiogon to see if he'd share his thoughts.
Good luck!
.
The Atma-Sphere gear is very neutral, very fast, and very detailed yet with the naturalness and timbral accuracy for which one values high quality tube equipment. They deliver a quickness and transparency of sound that is exceptional to my ear. When matched with appropriate speakers, the bass authority, detail and agility of the Atma-Sphere amps improve upon some of the best solid state amps I've heard, while delivering what tubes do best: extremely natural and harmonically accurate reproduction of acoustic instruments. You will not find any added "classic tube" warmth or richness with a Atma-Sphere product to counteract a too lean or astringent system, but what you will find is exceptionally detailed, transparent, harmonically natural and timrally accurate sound.
In my case, I use and love the Atma-Sphere MA-2s, but with another preamp. Springbok10 uses the Atma-Sphere MP-1 with his Atma-Sphere MA-2s and you can read his review of the MP-1 with his MA-2s and what he found to like about the combination (hint: he liked the combination a lot). Texasdave uses the MA-1 with the MP-3. He's not posted about his experience that I know of, but you contact him through Audiogon to see if he'd share his thoughts.
Good luck!
.