Sugden a21 question....

The short answer is, no. I think you'd be rather disappointed with that pairing off. Those Gallo's need some muscle to do their best, and, as good as the Sugden may be, 25 watts is just not enough to push an 88db speaker to satisfying volumes. If I were you, I'd be looking at amps putting out 50-100 watts minimum. I do like the Portal Panache, and it pushes my 89db Silverline SR17s without breaking a sweat. That's 100 wpc. I have tried the same speakers with lesser power and though they will play tunefully, they do run out of steam sooner, especially in larger spaces. There are many good integrateds out there in that price range that I'm sure would do well for you. You may also want to research compatibility with your speakers of the Unison Unico SE version, as well as offerings by Musical Fidelity, Creek and Audio Aero, among others.

Marco

The new A21SE is rated at 21W but remember Class A is a different ball game.

May be a different ball game, but still not in the right ball park in my experience. Two of the SS amps I've tried with my 89db SR17's were class A. The Aleph 5 putting out 50wpc, and the Bedinie 25/25 putting out, you guessed it, 25wpc. Both class A amps. In a larger space both could put out a fairly satisfying volume, but if you ever wanted to push it with dynamic music, again the results were less than satisfying in comparison to more powerful amps. In a smaller room you may be fine. But I'd still say you'd be on the borderline. $3k+ is a whole lot to risk...I'd see if you can get to audition them in your system before dropping that kind of coin.

Marco

I've only heard the un-modded standard Unico, but with some premium tube (don't recall which), and only in two very similar systems paired off with Solilquy 5.3 speakers (90db efficient floorstanders). In one room it sounded pretty compelling to me, in my own room not nearly as much so. I find the Panache far more engaging and much better at rendering a dimensional soundstage. Now I have no experience with the Underwood modded Unico, nor the newer Unico SE. They've both recieved great reviews, as did the original. I think synergy and personal preferences are going to be a strong determinant of what works for you.

Marco