General Asylum: REVIEW: Moth S2A3 Amplifier (Tube) by Vincent Amrhein

The detail, base and imaging of this amplifier are surprising. These are features that are usually the domain of solid state amps. I've read the review by Jack G. Dec.7, 1999 and generally agree with his assessment. I have some minor suggestions. First I'm not sure if the Sovtek 2A3's were availablle on Dec. 7, but if you haven't tried these, DO. They are superb. the edginess is gone.
On the laid back aspect, I never got that feeling because my speakers are forward so it makes a good complement to them. I figured that Mr. Klipsch made these speakers this efficient because in 1945 all he had were tube amps. In fact this is the reason this unit appealed to me. Single end triode, no overall feedback - it sounded like what these LaScalas were built for.
As far as the visual aesthetics are concerned - nothing should NOT be designed to look good. The guy who cried over spending money on design is missing the point. The unit needs a box it may as well be attractive. There's too much ugliness in the name of utility in this world. There are a few engineers who believe this, but not enough. Most engineers can't see beyond the schematic and everything else is an abstraction. I appreciate Craig Uthus effort in this regard.
I don't have an educated ear and can't hear (or perhaps understand) many of the things that audiophile reviewers talk about so I'll end here. I just felt the need to add a few things.

REVIEW: Moth S2A3 Amplifier (Tube) Review by Vincent Amrhein at Audio Asylum