Have you tried the ART SLA-1 amp yet?

I for one would like to hear any thoughts on the sound of this little amp........anyone?

Politics aside, there are very positive initial comments being made over at www.audiocircle.com on the stock unit before break in.
I ordered one today, and may order two more[stock units] for HT and apoligise to no one for it.

Sean, i am not sure if there the cheapest but my trial amp was ordered from www.BSWonline.com for 199.00 shipped.

They have already sent it out and sent a tracking # without exchanging a single word.... so they have decent service.

I am not expecting a world class sounding amp for 200.00 but if it is above midfi in sound quality as others have suggested, then one or even two of these amps for driving each channel above 80hz in HT duty, might be cost effective.

Swapping the speaker posts for some 5.00 ea gold plated 5 way posts is a matter of unbolting the stockers and bolting up the new ones.

No soldering or de-soldering is involved...ie, anyone can do this mod.

As far as the 1/4 inch pro jacks, i simply carefully broke the plastic housing on the interior of the amp, and bolted in the 5.00 ea gold plated replacements and soldered them to the board mounted inputs.
Almost anyone can do the second mod also and you can use your rca's direct without the use of the cheesey 1/4 adapters.

Doing these two mods improves the already amazing sonics of this little amp by letting you use your favorite spaded cables, and alowing a direct connection of high quality rca ic's and my total investement so far is 220.00. It has more detail resolution in the upper mids up than my 4k powerbloc 5 amp.
Nobody could purchase this amp and feel they did not get a lot more than there moneys worth imho.

I know longer have the Thiels or any of the above mentioned amps as i have tried to intergrate ht/2 channel in one systym. The Electrocompaniet amp was the best amp of the bunch for driving the Thiels, but i doubt the Sla-1 would work out for lack of current.
I am currently using stand mounted monitors[custom] that consist of Scan Speak drivers with Revelator tweeters and Hovland/Alphacore xovers.
These speakers go down to around 40hz and are used without subs for 2 channel, and are every bit as revealing as the Thiels from 40hz up.

I quit reading the audio rags years ago when Corey G was still writing for S-phile, so if i do not use the standard catch phrases, this would be why.
I consider this a good thing.

Anyway, the previous amps were all on the warm side of things and the electro had the most mid range and upper octave detail of all prior amps.
The Sla-1,is ultra detailed in the midrange and highs without the warmth of previous/current amps and i find the sound addicting.
There is more detail and pinpoint placement of instruments within the soundstage when the Sla-1 is in place.
The micro details whithin the soundstage are more prevalent with the Sla-i in the chain.
I do have Az matrix and Ap oval 9's hooked to it ,but have yet to use a pc that cost more than 50.00.

I find it simply amazing, that a 200.00 amp can sound this good, and it makes everything else i have heard seem far overpriced.

This amp has me wanting to mod my 4k amp, and i eventually will.
I don't no what higher praise could be given to a 200.00 amp with 20.00 worth of mods.