I've now lived with the MX-Rs for just about 18 months. I will tell you that they are superb, even driving my very difficult SoundLabs. I've never had even the remote notion of parting with them.
As for the "nice to poor recordings" bit, it is true - to a degree. Nothing will make certain massively compressed, heavily equalized recordings sound either listenable or enjoyable. However, by means that are not obvious to me, they WILL make a number of previously intolerable recordings listenable. Shining examples are most of the Deutsche Grammophon recordings from the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, the orchestras are more than noticeably multi-miked, but the nails-on-the-chalkboard characteristics that I've always hated about these particular recordings are largely absent. In other words, some of those excellent performances are now accessible, whereas previously I simply could not stand to listen to them.
The MX-Rs are only the second solid state amp that I've owned during the past 20 years (the others being the Parasound JC-1s). I fully understand the appeal of good tube designs. On balance, the strengths of the MX-Rs are so glaringly obvious, and their weaknesses relative to any tube amp that I've yet heard have been so minimized, that I simply have no reason to look elsewhere.
As for the "nice to poor recordings" bit, it is true - to a degree. Nothing will make certain massively compressed, heavily equalized recordings sound either listenable or enjoyable. However, by means that are not obvious to me, they WILL make a number of previously intolerable recordings listenable. Shining examples are most of the Deutsche Grammophon recordings from the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, the orchestras are more than noticeably multi-miked, but the nails-on-the-chalkboard characteristics that I've always hated about these particular recordings are largely absent. In other words, some of those excellent performances are now accessible, whereas previously I simply could not stand to listen to them.
The MX-Rs are only the second solid state amp that I've owned during the past 20 years (the others being the Parasound JC-1s). I fully understand the appeal of good tube designs. On balance, the strengths of the MX-Rs are so glaringly obvious, and their weaknesses relative to any tube amp that I've yet heard have been so minimized, that I simply have no reason to look elsewhere.