Any expereince with Coincident Frankenstein II Amp

I just picked up a pair of Franks direct from Coincident a few days ago. They're matched up with a pair of Total Victory V (latest version). For now I'm using the Statement Phono Stage as full function pre but will soon be adding the Statement Line Stage.

Although the amps and speakers are still breaking in I can say that without a doubt this is the finest system I've ever had - not even close. The sound is so vivid that at times it's downright startling. The Franks far, far outshine my previous Manley Neoclassic 300b amps - at approx half the retail cost and not even broken in yet! They're also extremely hassle-free - only 3 tubes and auto bias.

The only thing I need is a bit more gain, particularly for my lowish output CD player - hence my plan to add the Statement Line Stage.

Israel Blume is really working magic these days. In today's high end audio world his components are screaming bargains -- particularly his electronics, which all have insane power supplies and are built like veritable tanks. I didn't see anything at RMAF which comes anywhere close to his equipment for anywhere near the price....

Yes Charles1dad, I have the Shuguang black bottle treasure series tubes. I think "startling" best describes the overall sound. Sometimes a voice or instrument will come in that sounds so life-like that I am literally startled. I am definitely noticing improvements as the amps and speakers break in. As I said the only thing I think I need is more gain - which will come when I add the linestage (they're currently out of stock, not surprisingly!) Although they sound far better than the Manleys did, they have less gain. I assume they're designed to mate with a higher gain linestage like Coincident's own. It's funny, I get the impression that amongst the many impressive Coincident products it seems to be the linestage which has garnered the most praise - and that's the last one I'm adding to my system!