After my earlier concern expressed in the earlier post on 26/7/08 , I continue to log long hours with Supratek Chenin tube pre + Bel Canto Ref 1000 combintion. After 2 weeks,the ICE power amp sound has changed quite a lot.
I was initially told they've about 200 hours on them but the seller later said they would be lucky to have 50 hours playing time before i got them. Hmmm..
I later emailed Mick Maloney and he clarified that Chenin output impedance is actully 200 ohm , not 600 ohm i stated earlier and with the 20 kohm balance input impedance of the BC Ref 1000 matching should not be an issue.
As for the sound, the veiled, congested and rolled off sound i heard a few weeks ago has definitely disappeared. The top end has more sparkle and instrument separation is better now. These changes are not that subtle to my ears. I could hear some graininess in the HF region from a few recordings again and i certainly hope this won't get more pronouced as i can't stand sibilant sound. It's not all rosy though as another impression i get is the bass is just a bit plodding and PRAT could be better relative to my old amp. Over the two and half week period, i did put my Bryston 4BSST back in 3 times just to compare and confirm my impression.
I think burn in is definitely real with these ICE power amplifier.I was all ready to sell them 2 weeks ago but now i think they could be long term keeper. May be..