Has anyone heard the Innersound Electrostatic amp?

Thank you all for the responses. I think a blind listening test will be arranged between my current amp and the Innersound. Happy listening and happy holidays!

Brad, i don't think that the Stratos is rated at 260 @ 4 ohms, as Klaus has altered the specs since they were first introduced. Needless to say, some people were REALLY upset about this and felt as if they were "ripped off". You can find a thread about this on the general Asylum if you do a search.

With that in mind, you would probably notice a DRASTIC increase in sound quality when pushing the volume control up. Amps with high rail voltages / high current capacity ( and the Innersound is both of those ) typically retain their "relaxed" sonics even when most other amps are starting to blend things together, sound smeared and compressed, add grain and glare, etc... Sean
>

What difference in sound could I expect between my Odyssey Stratos(260w/4ohm)compared to the innersound esl(600w/4ohm)? Magnepans sound can compress when pushed too hard and wondering if this might happen with the esl amp on the maggies. Anyone using a tube preamp with their Innersound esl amp and with what results?

Plato could you tell me about your Innersound amp and your associated equipment? Did you compare the Innersound to any other amps and with what results? Thanks!

Guys, you left me little to add except to say that I agree wholeheartedly with all the above comments. Happy listening!

I own two of the Innersound amps, and IMO they are wickedly good, at any price. I've used them with various Acoustats, Innersound Eros, Gallo Nucleus Reference, Martin-Logan CLS IIz, and bought the second amp to biamp Apogee Duetta Signatures with an active crossover. In every case, the sound was superb, and better than (any) other amplifiers I have used with each of these speakers respectively. The amp is practically bulletproof, stable into 1 ohm loads, and never gets hot in operation. The product support offered by Roger Sanders is practically superhuman; this amp deserves to become an audio legend.

Having heard the Innersound amp at Plato's and at an NJ Audio Society meeting with Roger Sanders explaining its workings, I second the above responses. It is well-designed and an excellent amp.

I sell the InnerSound amp, so I'm not going to argue with any of the above posts! Since I try to avoid gushing too much over something I sell, I'll just thank Sc53, Iasi, and Pls1 for saying it for me.

So far none of my customers are using their InnerSound amp to drive Maggies, but it is quite happy driving Sound Labs, Acoustats, Martin Logans, and Quads. Roger Sanders tells me he has customers using the amp to drive Maggies, and since his policy is to always take back the amp if the customer doesn't like it, I presume the combination works well.

I have one customer who likes things loud - he regularly drives his Sound Labs to over 100 dB with his little InnerSound amp. This speaker is a beastly load - about 2.3 ohms in the midrange, and even less efficient than Maggies, and known for literally murdering lesser amps (I had a pair of 800-watt monoblocks puke on the carpet trying to drive Sound Labs at less than 90 dB). The InnerSound is among the very few 3-grand amps that really sound good with the Sound Labs, and is the only one I know of in that price range that is truly dynamic. To put things in perspective, I don't know of any competing amplifier at twice the price that does as good a job with the Sound Labs, and few at three times the price. This doesn't necessarily translate directly over to the Maggies, but it's a pretty good sign. If they sucked with the Sound Labs, they'd be much less likely to sing with the Maggies.

InnerSound dealers are generally quite comfortable arranging for in-home auditions, so you should be able to hear the amp without having to buy it first.

Best wishes to you!

I auditioned the Innersound amp and speakers in my home and had a chance to compare them directly to MUCH more expensive high power monoblocks from three different high end manufacturers. The Innersound is a great amp.

i'm running an all Innersound system...preamp, phono stage, amp, cables, and speakers (Isis)...I can tell you that for ESL speakers, you won't find a better amp. None. Zilch. I tried Classe, Mark Levinson, Cary...these are great amps, but none had the speed, the stability, the midrange, the treble, and the tightness in the bass as the Innersound ESL amp...and for the price...hmmm, i wonder how they can sell it for that cheap...less than $3k for an outstanding achiever...my opinion?...if you have the money, buy one and hear for yourslef...the Maggies will open and will sing with the ESL amp...good luck!

If I'm not mistaken, Audiogoner "Plato" has this amp, because it is pictured in the picture gallery he started on AOL for anyone who wants to post pics of their system and look at pics of others. If you email Plato, I'm sure he will give you lots of info, he's a very informative person based on his input into these forums.