BOBO1957

I gave the AL5 an audition in PDX bout a month ago. They had just received them and set em up the day before I got there. They were driven by a off brand EL34 amp. The sound was excellent and they seemed to fill the whole store with same. The price however is a bit much for speakers missing the lower octave <51 HZ. I believe list was 9K. They were willing to negotiate but I had to force myself to leave (or they would have been in the back of my truck.) I still think about going back but I already spent my tax return.

Billy goat gruff. If you are happy with your entry level gear more power to you.

Just an observation on this. The output transformer on my 60W mono block tuber weighs more than this Macintosh offering. Usually takes two men and a boy to pick a MAC up! Also green is not my color for tube glow.

For the money, the SP14 is a decent entry level Pre. I added some Mundorf SOG caps and some 181 treasures to mine as well as a third preout for a sub. Improved the sound but could never get the "hum" from appearing on my Cornwall III or Heresy III drivers. Played around with grounding etc to no avail. Upgraded to a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium preamp with the 12AU7 first stage and drivers. You can tube roll to your heart's content with that valve. Difference is night and day on sound quality and the noise floor is in the cellar now. PL is also bout 3x or so more $, so I guess you get what ya pay for. VTA has been demoted to second string in my workroom system for now.