I owned a CMII for over 3 years and it is an excellent amplifier that gives most amplifiers a run for their money.
The sound is tube like in that the sound stage is enormous and the treble is very smooth and refined.
Bass is not so tubby and thick as some tube amps go but rather more detailed, tighter and with more impact.
The most surprising thing is the transparency. It is a very transparent sounding amp. Beats many solid state amps in that area.
the only downsides are that it is heavy (massive transformers) and can have some audible hum when standing over the amp.
Once you are a few feet away the hum cannot be heard and it is never heard through the speakers.
When I traded mine in the dealer was running a Rega Elicit R that sounded very good. He swapped in the CMII to make sure it worked and instantly the sound was more real, open, huge and transparent.
It is a value and a winner.
The sound is tube like in that the sound stage is enormous and the treble is very smooth and refined.
Bass is not so tubby and thick as some tube amps go but rather more detailed, tighter and with more impact.
The most surprising thing is the transparency. It is a very transparent sounding amp. Beats many solid state amps in that area.
the only downsides are that it is heavy (massive transformers) and can have some audible hum when standing over the amp.
Once you are a few feet away the hum cannot be heard and it is never heard through the speakers.
When I traded mine in the dealer was running a Rega Elicit R that sounded very good. He swapped in the CMII to make sure it worked and instantly the sound was more real, open, huge and transparent.
It is a value and a winner.