@dumbeat
I read somewhere that under biasing tbe Joule 100 takes a bit of sparkle off, which might be desiarable with some speakers or source players.
I have measured many amps of that design. I will say that the output impedance does rise as idle current is reduced (underbiasing being the popular but sadly incorrect term). When the output impedance rises bass will rise. Also the low impedance parts of the speaker's response curve will diminish in level which may explain the loss of highs.
I have recently been working on a similar OTL from another maker and have noticed that idle current can affect the output impedance by 2x, and its already high.
The problem with low damping (high output impedance) is that the speaker's response will follow the impedance curve in a way the speaker maker did not intend.
For more on this join the discussion please see:
Does anyone care to ask an amplifier designer a technical question? My door is open.