cat jl3 signatures vs. atmashere ma2III's

I'm using Cardas Golden Reference as recommended by Bobby who makes my Merlins. That recommendation may be specific to my speakers and might not be universal. I've heard Ken say he does not favor silver in ICs and speaker cable for his amps.

For those who have been following the comments on this thread, Marc Mickelson has posted a follow-up and summation to his reviews of the CAT JL2 and Atma-Sphere MA-2 amplifiers. His comments in part:

But even with all of the praise I hefted on the JL2 Signature Mk 2, if I had to pick a single amplifier as my favorite, even among the many truly great amps that I've heard, it would be the latest version of Ralph Karsten's OTL powerhouse, the MA-2 Mk III monoblock ($32,800 per pair). The transparency of its midrange was dramatic and involving to my ears in a way that the sound of no other amp is, and its lightning-quick attack never came at the price of hardness or etch. "Unforced resolution" is how I summed things up, "the earmark of the highest performance high-end audio has to offer."
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If I ever have a spare $33,000, I will be sending it to Ralph Karsten for a pair of his MA-2 Mk IIIs. In the meantime, the CAT JL2 Signature Mk 2 is more within a dreamer's reach and an amplifier that I will bet can drive even the most uncooperative speakers. With either amp, you get a lot of memorable music for your dwindling dollars.
http://www.soundstage.com/editrl/ss_update_010108.htm

Two outstanding examples of the skills of two excellent designers. (N.B.: I own Atma-Sphere MA-2 amps and love what they do with Avalon Acoustic Eidolon speakers.)
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Ditto on your conclusion.

Samuel 33. So now that you own the CAT on your avalons, what is your sense about the synergy? Does it take them to the next level?

thanks. Louis

Well, I've traded my CAT JL2s for Atma-sphere M-60s. Both are fantastic amps, but on my Merlins, which are OTL friendly, the OTLs are pure magic, I clearly prefer them in almost every way, though the nod has to go to the CAT on bass IMHO - not that the M-60s are not perfectly satisfactory, but those huge transformers on the CAT are there for a reason. I suspect with other speakers the CATs would have the advantage - they can drive most anything, but if your speakers are OTL friendly I suspect nothing will sound better than an Atma-sphere amp, and proabably the Joule OTLs as well.