Sugden a21 question....

I've only heard the un-modded standard Unico, but with some premium tube (don't recall which), and only in two very similar systems paired off with Solilquy 5.3 speakers (90db efficient floorstanders). In one room it sounded pretty compelling to me, in my own room not nearly as much so. I find the Panache far more engaging and much better at rendering a dimensional soundstage. Now I have no experience with the Underwood modded Unico, nor the newer Unico SE. They've both recieved great reviews, as did the original. I think synergy and personal preferences are going to be a strong determinant of what works for you.

Marco

You MUST try the amp with those speakers.
Dont believe everything you hear abvout "power hungry" speakers.
I have the Sugden Masterclass Integrated with 33 watts.
They power my Nautilus 805 very well. Better sounding than the 180 watt amps I tried.
Class A is different.

I second JeffJarvis. Although specs would indicate otherwise, sometimes the amp design is key to driving a pair of speakers properly. Real life example: a pair of X-1 and SW-1 two way monitors and their passive 10" woofer tower stands. They are supposed to be driven with a minimum of 100 watts+ of SS power...I drove them with a McCormack DNA-225 at 200 watts/channel..ear splitting levels, a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 at 110 watts of tube power...great sound....and also with a Sharp EX-111 that cost around $89...digital all in one unit with just 20 watts per channel. The last pairing was amazing. I did not bring down the house, but I was running hard enough to feel the bass in my chest. You might be surprised or disappointed with the pairing of the Sudgen. Can always buy used and later sell.

So you guys think that the Sugden, may be powerful enough? The amp really intrigues me and I would love to hear it first, but that does not seem possible. I do not need ear-splitting levels, but I want it to be controlled and be able to play semi-loud. Thanks for your time.

I own the power amp version, the A21a, and I have used it to run a pair of Vienna Acoustics Beethovens (91db at 4ohms). It is an excellent amp and sounded great with the Beethovens at volumes as loud as I cared to listen with a wide variety of music. Also used it with a pair of ADS L-1290s (90db at 8ohms) with equal success. It is a sweet-sounding amp for sure.