After some listening with various speakers and sources, the results are in....
First, I must say that after a session listening to Pink Floyd, The Wall, some interesting results were heard. There's so much detail in this album. So many nuances for such an old recording! The Maraschino really opens up sounds like the metal of cymbals and the micro detail that so many amps leave behind. I'm biased, of course, but there's no doubt the sound is like new, revealing the capabilities of the speakers due to tight control at ALL frequencies. Rock solid, louder than expected, and ultra clean at any level.
Second, imaging is nothing short of astonishing. There is abundant "air".
This amp was designed to have extended bandwidth and extremely low output impedance so it can drive down to 1 ohm at all frequencies. Unfortunately, I don't have a pair of difficult-to-drive ESLs handy at the moment. I bet the low impedance at high frequencies would work well with Gallo Reference speakers.
By the way, I'm currently driving the Maraschinos (mono blocks) with switching power supplies. I was hesitant at first to do this, but the sound is smooth as silk. I was worried that the current (as in amps) requirement would overwhelm the supplies, but due to the high efficiency, peaks are coming through with authority and no hiccups.
Well back to listening. Can't wait to bring these to a rave sometime soon. Thanks for reading.
-Tommy O
