Aria owners? Mike Elliot's new company

Very, very nice sounding amps...low noise floor, fabulous midrange/highs. Though they did play very low bass octaves, my only complaint was the lack of "bass slam" that I am used to from solid state amps. Overall, these powerhouses are a great value for the $. If you are considering these amps, you can't go wrong with the home audition.

Yes, I have heard AND demoed the aria wt350LS (non XL) in my local sellers store and my home! They really do pass the sound of the ANY tube to the speakers, but power cords make a HUGE difference too. keep $500 back for a pair of cords (unsure of brand used). I did not choose to buy the arias since my preamp would not drive the LS version and extra shipping and salesman's efforts were necessary just to see how the HS version would go with my Linn Kairn. i felt that this caliber of amp needed a preamp like a SA-11 like you have to do justice. A krell KCT is all i got to hear them with and the arias pretty much passed the analytcal sound of it right through to the speakers unfortunately (i hate analytical sounding stuff-the way krells can be). i ended up going with a Klimax twin which really goes with my linn stuff but am still UNSURE if it was the wiser choice. am using BW N803's currently. in the store i heard the arias with 800's & the KCT. i think all the b&w Naut's are a bit analytical too which keeps me from really knowing how good the aria's sound. the arias seem to be really transparent. do us all a big favor and try them with your sa-11 and let us all know how it goes. I will probably be looking to these in the future when i have a real (SA-11) tube preamp, or when i can afford mike's new aria preamp that should be appearing shortly. i wonder if the wt100XL version may be a better choice than the wt350standard if you can get by with 100 watts? i can't believe i turned down a LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE warranty over Linn's 2 year labor 3 year parts! the k-twin is really laid back smooth magical sense of ease yet articulate stuff, but i assure you i paid INFULL for it and didn't get much increase in listening volume. (maybe i did get more volume but it is so much less noisy and less bass boomy than the Klout it does not SEEM like more power). about the arias though, all i can say is they really had sledghammer bass and lots of transparency. they really made tom petty's "you wreck me" on wildflowers rock like no tomorrow. no matter how much loud stuff was happening, you could still here all the softer background stuff. serious jazz was equally done justice too. am unsure of its tonal quality and sense of effortless ease (non-analyticalness) due to the dang KCT. sorry i can't be of any more help than this.
That's my 2 cents.

it's not the KCT. it's the combination if Krell and B&W that
kills music.

Thanks for the reviews, guys. Dfarmer, I was only curious, not looking to buy right now. I'm pretty darn happy with the sound of the np220's. And I agree about the B&W's. If Mike does demos (not sure) I actually will probably bring my SA-11 down there to have a listen (if he doesn't already use one) when I get the next upgrade to it because i'm sorta near his shop and don't like shipping this monster.

B&W's don't kill the music. Their accuracy and transparency is obviously something you don't like. In my experience, B&W's act as a window for the sound of your components.

Kevziek,

Nothing agaisnt B&W. I said it's the 'combination' of krell and B&W I don't
care for. Krell sounds better without B&W, and B&W sounds better
without krell to my ears.

BTW, how do you know what 'accuracy' is?

ditto on the B&W comment; i was referring to them used with krell but of course that's a general statement based on what i've heard demo'd and depends on the rest of the gear.

Yes, accuracy is a relative term. Nothing is really accurate. My presumption is that if a piece of gear reveals more of what is going on in the music, it is more accurate. However, the piece may be more accurate in some ways, but less accurate in other ways. For example, a really great transistor amp can reveal more detail and dig further into the mix, but it may also be more harmonically threadbare at the same time. It's a hard hobby -- I continue to be amazed at the discoveries I make while comparing equipment, but in the end, it shows me how inaccurate the art of stereo reproduction really is.

*I continue to be amazed at the discoveries I make while comparing
equipment, but in the end, it shows me how inaccurate the art of
stereo reproduction really is. *

Indeed. It all depends on how
each listener values his/her sonic priorities. (including a pursuit of
an accuracy that may or may not exist )

A quick note regarding the B&W's.

First; I agree with the statement regarding Krell and B&W, great HiFi, lousy musicality, IMO. Last year I went looking for new speakers, auditioned dozens, I listened to the B&W's, but they never convinced my ears they should be in the running. (Yes I took my own CD's for consistency). I finally went with Coincident's, but many speakers where more musical than the B&W's.

Second; There was a B&W at my local store which had a nice cut away. I saw this before my final decision but after listening. The cut away was there to show the insides. This was a factory demo of their construction, and judging from what I saw, they have no desire to satisfy the true music lover. They use simple cheap wiring, (though the colours where nice), connected like your average car stereo speaker leads. No soldering. The crossover used what looked like the least expensive parts on the planet. No hard wireing anywhere I could see. Simple Mass Market, advertise the hell out of it and the rats will come to the piper.

Regarding Mike Elliot and his amps. I had his Counterpoint SA-12, 15 years old, up till last year. I brought to my home a lot of todays really good amps for comparison, (Lumely, Canary, BAT, Pass, Krell, Rotel, Parasound, and a few others). Yes they sounded a bit better, but not enough to make me want to buy them. That was untill I heard the Atma-Sphere M60's. It was better in every way, but even at that, not near what I thought. I would love to hear one of his upgraded Counterpoint amps or his Aria's. He is a great designer, and is now using the best parts available. I don't see how someone could go wrong.

Have not heard the Aria's,but have 2 of his products and think very highly of his work.Keep on keepin on Mike....Bob