I own a pair of Atma-Sphere MA-1s, and they are the best amps I have had in my system. Very clear and uncolored. They do not sound tubey in the sense of adding any euphonic colorations. I have heard the Joule amps only at CES, in a system with Vandersteen sepakers. I don't know the model, but they were on the myrtle wood bases, and they were big. The system sounded very good. It had what I consider to be a classic tube sound - very rich harmonics, perhaps a bit rolled off at the top. Very pleasant to listen to, but I believe the harmonic richness was a result of euphonic harmonic distortion from the tubes. Of course it's hard to say without putting the two in the same system,and it's hard to say what else was contributing to the sound, but I think that richness is distinctively tube. (I'm sure they were using a Joule preamp, since it was a JOule booth, but I don't remember the source).
Based on this experience, I would have to agree with Siddh, that the Joules would provide a richer sound. I don't mean this to put the Joules down; I remember the system as sounding very good, with the classic tube richness.
Based on this experience, I would have to agree with Siddh, that the Joules would provide a richer sound. I don't mean this to put the Joules down; I remember the system as sounding very good, with the classic tube richness.