joule electra vs. atma-sphere any input?

Hi Siddh, Thanks for the nice comments! The MkII.2 dates from 1999 to about 2003; we've come a long way since then and are now building the MkIII amplifiers. It might be worth your while to audition again when you get the chance- the MkIIIs are smoother and more detailed, with the added benefit that the tubes hold up better too.

FWIW the older amps can be updated with full warranty reactivation.

The V-Cap Teflon capacitor has been a big boost - it is a better part than the Teflon cap we were using before and are arguably the best in the industry.

The Joule Electra OTl's are also available wired for balanced operation.

Jud Barber - Joule Electra

Optarchie, what speakers are you using?

Can't go wrong with either Atmasphere or Joule. I'd say
that the Joules are a slight bit more rich in the midrange, the Atmas are a little faster and have slightly more extension on top. That is not to say the Atmaspheres are lean. It is very apples to apples, imaging depth and spacial dileneation maybe go to the Joules, but other attributes will fall into the Atma camp. With both brands, the higher you go up in power, the more relaxed and accurate the presentation.

Basically they are both excellent amplifiers- you simply can't go wrong with either. I love OTL's, but your results
with both brands will vary depending on the speakers you're using.

I'm using the Joule LA150 MKII with my Atma-sphere M60s, till the MP3s arrive next week. All I can say is if the MP3 with balanced connection can improve with I'm hearing with the Joule feeding the Atma singled-ended I will be very impressed and it will be interesting to hear the "house sound difference" between the Joule and Atma preamps. As stated above, both excellent product lines. And coming to the Atma amps after years of owning the CAT JL2 was a real revelation, the OTLs and my Merlins seems like a great match, I actually prefer them over my CATs (sold them)when matched with these speakers, which I never expected that to happen.