Jnk,
Thanks much for your feedback. And what a timing!!
Yes, the price is a bit forbidding and even a good deal is very pricey on the H20. I am guessing it is a good amp, based on what you mentioned. But at twice the cost of the Parasound A21?
And by timing I meant - I found an article by Norway's Audio Fidelity's group test in May-2004 of the following amps: Hegel HP-4A transistor amplifier, EAR 509 Silver Jubilee tube, McIntosh 275 (revisited) tube, Dynamic Precision DP A-1 transistor amplifier, Naim integrated transistor amplifier, Tandberg Huldra 10 transistor radio, Rotel RA-1062 integrated transistor amplifier, Rotel RB-1090 power amplifier transistor, PB SDA 2175 semi-digital power amplifier, Embla ICE power digital mono blocks, Parasound A-21 transistor amplifier. They declared the A21 as a winner based on price/performance ratio. Some comments on the A21 were (Norwegian to English conversion) "Only a tiny hardness up reveals that this is not entirely same class as Hegel and DP to double times the price. Flaws little weight at the very bottom in terms of super amps to Hegel and the DP, but it has a warm and lush sound balance without being gross or fat. There was no blurring of detail and body and here is the air in plenty. Female Voices are bold reproduced with high 'femme fatale' factor."
The conclusion was "Another råbra amplifier that has the appearance that a more expensive amplifiers, the build quality as a more expensive amplifiers, have powers like a more expensive amplifier. And as the most important; also sonically is Para Sound A-21 very closely on a lot expensive stuff! It has a perfectly delicious body
with lush lower midrange, solid dypbass and a brave and småfrekk upper midrange that gives music high gøyfaktor. An unusual blend of soft warm and quick, sparkling transients! "
I am at this point heavily leaning towards a A21.