+1 to jjss49’s comment about Wyred 4 Sound. I have the ST-500 in my desktop system, and it has worked with synergy and real impact powering some excellent 2-ways (Aerial Acoustics 5Bs; ATC SCM12 Pro’s; and now the vintage/beautiful-sounding KEF 103.2’s).
I do all listening in the nearfield position with the Violectric V281 (very nice sound) as preamp. There is nowhere for a bad-sounding amp to hide in this setup: it either works or fails audibly. The ST-500 works extremely well here. And it does something subtle that tells me it’s an above average amp: whatever its inherent sound is, it takes a back seat to the inherent sound of the speakers. This quality of being self-effacing, in service of the chain, is one I value highly.
My impression of the inherent sound of the ST-500 is top-to-bottom smoothness, power, music-first. Not a flash-bang, in-your-face sound at all. Never bright. But when a crescendo comes along, get ready for G forces (very powerful amp). All in all, it’s a consistently suave, relaxed "take" on SS sound.
I do all listening in the nearfield position with the Violectric V281 (very nice sound) as preamp. There is nowhere for a bad-sounding amp to hide in this setup: it either works or fails audibly. The ST-500 works extremely well here. And it does something subtle that tells me it’s an above average amp: whatever its inherent sound is, it takes a back seat to the inherent sound of the speakers. This quality of being self-effacing, in service of the chain, is one I value highly.
My impression of the inherent sound of the ST-500 is top-to-bottom smoothness, power, music-first. Not a flash-bang, in-your-face sound at all. Never bright. But when a crescendo comes along, get ready for G forces (very powerful amp). All in all, it’s a consistently suave, relaxed "take" on SS sound.