Joe Abrams of Portal Audio has a pretty impressive resume in the audio industry. His Portal Paladin monoblocks are a testament to his extensive experience in the hobby/business, and I think they reflect very well his determination to make high quality audio gear affordable for just about everyone. I have a pair of Paladins that I bought from Joe several months ago. I started with his Portal Panache integrated amp. I liked it so much that I traded in and up for the Paladins. You simply can't lose with Joe. The build quality and performance level of his amps is amazing given their price points. The Paladins in particular can caress you or they can kick the crap out of you...and they do both very well! Physically they aren't the biggest amps on the market, but they've got some serious game when it comes to making music. They're very smooth and natural sounding in the mids and top end. A lot of detail without being overbearing at all. No grain, no harshness. The bottom end is rock solid but not weighty. The listening experience has become a celebration of the music for me in the truest sense since I added the Paladins to the lineup. I love to listen to music, and with the Paladins I get music every time.
I've had many listening sessions where I ran them hard for 4 or 5 hours at a time and they never even broke a sweat. My speakers are 4 ohms and the Paladins drive them effortlessly. The Paladins seem to have bottomless power which I like, because when I romp on them they just keep on giving.
I've had no problems with mine, nor would I expect to have problems given their build quality. If I did have a problem with them, Joe is just a phone call away. He is a great guy and is very easy to deal with. His customer service is first class all the way. I've done quite a bit of business with Joe and the man has never let me down. I have found him to be very honest and fair, and it's a pleasure each time I deal with him.
You can't go wrong doing business with Joe. He offers a 60 day home trial priviledge with his new amps so you really have nothing to lose. Check out his website. Read the reviews. He has a very good product at $3500.00 for a new pair. Right now he's got a demo pair for sale for $2750.00. Very good just got even better at that price!
I've spent a lot of money on audio gear in my time. Some of it was well spent, some of it was not. Every cent I've spent on Portal Audio products has been money well spent. My hat is off to Joe Abrams and Portal Audio.
