cat jl3 signatures vs. atmashere ma2III's


Has anyone had the cahnce to hear these amps side by side? I was wondering what the sonic differences would be between them. I have heard the cat jL2 signature but have not heard the monoblocks. Do you think the atmasphere would give me the bass slam of the cats. I know both have great midrange and I know that the cat will be a little more "maintenance" but which one do you folks prefer and why? Any input would be much appreciated.
optarchie
They [Atma-Sphere amps] are incredible at untangling complex orchestral music while maintaining natural timbre and timing.

Bingo! And when paired with the latest version of Atma-Sphere's MP-1 preamplifier, they're even better at this !

Tim
The Atmashere is lusher and more musical. I am a huge CAT fan but their pre-amp is way better than their amp. The CAT amp is thin and doesn't have any drive.
In all the years I have read and participated in these forums, there have been a lot of ridiculous statements but this would takes the gold metal.

Optarchie - I have heard the CAT directly to the Atma-Sphere on SoundLab speakers and have reported on my findings in these forums. Check these out or contact me further details.

John
Agree with Spencer.

The Escalante Fremont presents a rather benign load and can be easily driven to paint peeling levels by the MA-1.

The MA-2, in this case, offer nothing more than a higher price and electric bill.

Disclaimer: AS retailer
I will join Sbank and Audiofeil in the belief that the MA-2 is overkill for an 8ohm / 93db sensitivity speaker, provided there are no insane impedance dips. The MA-1 should drive your speakers very well.

On another note, the MkIII updates to the MA-1 and MA-2 made a significant improvement in midrange purity and even lower distortion. Those who have not hear the MkIII upgrade may be surprised by the degree of improvement.
.
I have never heard the CAT, so I can not offer any comparisons. I do use the Atma-Sphere MA2 MK III's with Dali Megaline speakers which have a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, and it is the best sound I have ever heard.

In addition to offering unrivaled sound, Atma-Sphere OTL amps are the most flexible and reliable vacuum tube amps I am aware of. For example, if you do not need the full power of the MA2's, you can simply remove some of the power tubes to reduce the power output. If a power tube blows, (and I haven't lost one in 9 months), you can simply remove it and replace with another. That is, since they are not matched pairs, you loose 1 tube, not 2. Uhnlike the 6550 and KT88 based amps I have owned in the past which usually tookk out a resister when a power tube blew, that is not the case with Atma-Sphere OTL amps. They are no muss no fuss power amps, which is remarkable since they use vacuum tubes.

Finally, Ralph, Adam, and Bill offer the best support in the business.

Happy listening,
Dennis