Thoughts on the First Watt SIT Amps

This thread has been very interesting and thought provoking. I believe the Frist Watt SIT amp is an exceptional product and genuine achievement. I also believe it will out perform many SET amplifiers,It all depends on one`s reference point and past SET amp exposure.There are noticeable quality/performance levels among these amps and a certain hierarchy is in place. Some SET amplifiers are indeed colored,slow,soft, too warm,rolled off etc, Others will demostrate supreme speed,openess,tone,dynamics etc.

My feeling is the true top tier SET amplifiers will out perform the SIT amp in certain vital areas of music reproduction and tactile realism- emotional connection. The SIT amps may have certain advantages in the 'hifi' realm/parameters i.e. image focus,transient speed,'tight' bass(perhaps less natural bass bloom or texture?).
Regards,

Well `I`m off to see jazz trombonist Delfaeyo Marsalis who`s in town for a few days. This jazz club acoustic instrument venue will always be my reference point.I wish more high end designers would model their sound/components to mimic this type of natural sound rather than the direction some have chosen.
Regards,

Charles1dad,

when I say noise, I don't mean the old school noise from bad circuits. When I talk about noise here, i mean when compared with that tomb like silence one can get from SS or class D efforts.

Ok my speakers are very revealing due to their sensitivity, but I don't mean I hear hiss or hum from the yammy. Just a kind of glow around instruments.

Let's face it if that SS amp turns up that's capable of the magic we would all jump ship. Apart from the hair shirt brigade of course...

While I'd love to hear the SIT amps it looks like you need to spend a lot of money ($10K for monoblocks plus additional for single stage DHT preamp)to essentially approximate what a good SET already gives you for a lot less. On top of that, you will also be stuck with a sonic signature that you can't change. If I want to alter the sound in any of my tube amps I can simply change brand of tubes. Will keep an open ear on the subject but have been disappointed in my ventures into the land of high end SS amps. I really want to hear a SS amp that I can love - at least for the summer months so I can avoid using my tube space heaters.

Chad,
Does that "tomb like silence" seem natural to you? I find the 'ultra' silence or blackness artificial, as no background is that quiet(like outer space vacuum). I believe tube background ambience is the more realistic one in nature. Just an opinion that`s all.
Regards,