OK maybe Atma's comments come off a bit strong, but I recently put into service an older pair of Atma-sphere MA-1's I had stopped using when I lost of bunch of output tubes. I had gone over to an excellent sounding SS modified integrated, that honestly was the most revealing, fully fleshed out and non SS sounding amp I have ever heard (Ps Audio GCC series amp with full ICE Underwood Mod- their excellence is backed up by 10audio's review.)
I retubed the MA1's thinking I should listen to them on my new speakers just for kicks, then sell them. Even though they are older models - several cuircut enhancements behind current refinements, the amps sounded so much better and had more detail than the SS. It was like going from viewing excelllent hi-res 2D image on the SS to a viewing a 3D holograph with the Atma's. A very simple instrument - a kazoo on LP played by Sonny Boy Williamson, clued me into what was happening.
On the SS the instrument was plain to hear in all it's glory, but with the Atma's there was suddenly a man playing an instrument, the skin of the kazoo resonating as a seperate event from the body sound. There were more dimensions to hear, more facets, and being such a simple instrument I believe made it easier to hear and remember the sound, as opposed to a more complex instrument, like a violin. It was quite telling.
And the speaker's impedance isn't even ideal for an OTL's range, being 4 ohms.
I don't know if all tube products possess this level of quality, but I certainly can say that Atma-sphere's do.
I retubed the MA1's thinking I should listen to them on my new speakers just for kicks, then sell them. Even though they are older models - several cuircut enhancements behind current refinements, the amps sounded so much better and had more detail than the SS. It was like going from viewing excelllent hi-res 2D image on the SS to a viewing a 3D holograph with the Atma's. A very simple instrument - a kazoo on LP played by Sonny Boy Williamson, clued me into what was happening.
On the SS the instrument was plain to hear in all it's glory, but with the Atma's there was suddenly a man playing an instrument, the skin of the kazoo resonating as a seperate event from the body sound. There were more dimensions to hear, more facets, and being such a simple instrument I believe made it easier to hear and remember the sound, as opposed to a more complex instrument, like a violin. It was quite telling.
And the speaker's impedance isn't even ideal for an OTL's range, being 4 ohms.
I don't know if all tube products possess this level of quality, but I certainly can say that Atma-sphere's do.