Posted by Albertporter on September 20, 2002 at 20:33:47:
In Reply to: MA2 MkI or MA2 MkII? posted by Lew on September 20, 2002 at 06:58:55:
My statement about Atmasphere was very clear. I stated from the very first line that mine was the old MA2. This means 12 AT7 and 12 AU7 input tubes.
However, mine did have every upgrade Ralph offered and upgrades I added based on his advice. These included some "coke can" sized bypass capacitors, IR high speed hexfreds, a COMPLETE rewire with 6-9's linear crystal OFC copper and NOS tubes.
I had Sound Anchor custom build stands built for them, then tried various isolation devices and purchased four premium power cords , based upon what the amp best responded to.
I never said that my Atmaspheres were not excellent. I would not have purchased them if they were not a state of the art product. I would I have disposed of them immediately instead of owning them for several years if they had failed to perform.
If you believe that my critique is out of date, I read in Duke's opinion that the Wolcott offers greater sound pressure ability, superior dynamics, plus added control over bass frequencies. He also stated that the Wolcott was probably more neutral.
That sounds like a compliment to me rather than a compromise.
Add to that, saving $17,000.00 is a big plus, even for someone like me who has invested $180,000.00.