The Elise, in many ways, reminds me of modern high-performance tube amps like ARC's Ref150. The sound isn't tubey in a classic 50s-60s definition of the term - no bloated, rolled-off bass, very extended on top, fast, exciting sounding with almost startling transient response, and no grain. The bass, in particular, is extremely impressive. It extends as deep as my Krell and has almost the same degree of control. From tubes. Unbelievable. This is not a $500 amplifier. It's worth far more. The fit and finish, alone, speaks of a bespoke product. Not a single rough edge or a fastener in sight. If I had to guess, as one who worked in the high-performance sector of the industry, this amp should retail for about $2K.
... more to come in a week or so.
Hi Shaffer.
Wow indeed! Many thanks for your honest appraisal, and from someone with obviously far more knowledge and experience than myself in this field - I am so glad I haven't been deluding myself (and others!) all this time. And am so glad you are obviously enjoying immensely this VERY modestly-priced offering.
I look forward to later impressions when things have burned in even more...
I wish you continued happy listening...have a GREAT weekend!
CHEERS