CAT SL-1 Ultim. Mk2 vs Manley Steel. for CAT JL-2

John, Thanks hugely. That was a very helpful explanation. I'm saving it to my hard drive!

In fairness to the original poster of this thread, I am continuing the discussion of the relative merits of different CAT amps in a new thread. Please check it out.
Thanks,
Bob

Jafox,
Would you tell us which version of the JL-3s you have and how you chose between them? There is "JL-3hc" (300 wpc/$10K retail) and JL-3 Signature (200wpc,$30K retail). I'm wondering if you are familiar with the performance differences between the two units, and what could justify the much higher price of the Signature version.

As I'm sure you know, there is no CAT website to refer to for product information.

Brain and Jafox,

Thank you both for the clarifications.

Could either of you characterise the sonic differences, including any potential advantages or disadvantages, between a JL-2 and a regular JL-3? I've never seen a dealer that had both in stock for comparison! Apart from cost, would the choice between them be dictated primarily by the speaker load?

Jafox, When you purchased your amp, were you able to audition a standard JL-3 and compare it to the Signature version? If so, was there a specific performance feature that motivated you to spend the extra money?

Thanks to both of you for sharing your experiences with amps that are hard to research.

Oops. Brian of EssentialAudio, in my previous post, please excuse the entirely accidental misspelling of your name as "Brain". HA!