I've had my Topaz 211c for just over a year. Its taken this long to fully appreciate it. I have listened to the Berning zh270 I have along with some restored classics on hand: Citation II,Futterman, Marantz 8b,5's,quad II and more. Each of these has its qualities:the classic Marantz and Quads more like the Jota mentioned above. The Berning with the limitless/tightest bass and the Futterman with the uncanny cut through the haze clarity albeit a bit grainy.
I have difficulty with slow and syrupy so the typical SET does not entice me. There are few that can match the attack of the Topaz and maintain the integrity of the holistic image in space. Being a Canadian, made the choice easier as well. This amp should be a monoblock and I imagine if Hebert didn't get so many chassis made up before hand it would be...At 100+lbs It's too heavy and too big for one chassis. A real un-SET like SET. I can see why those enamoured with traditional SET sound or the rhythm and pace of a inarticulate presentation would not like the Topaz. I'm sure something will displace it sometime, however, after running through a whole bunch of amps including some very high priced current production OTLs this amp will be around for a while. It's to bad it is not more widely available so more might be able to appreciate it.
Nkj
I have difficulty with slow and syrupy so the typical SET does not entice me. There are few that can match the attack of the Topaz and maintain the integrity of the holistic image in space. Being a Canadian, made the choice easier as well. This amp should be a monoblock and I imagine if Hebert didn't get so many chassis made up before hand it would be...At 100+lbs It's too heavy and too big for one chassis. A real un-SET like SET. I can see why those enamoured with traditional SET sound or the rhythm and pace of a inarticulate presentation would not like the Topaz. I'm sure something will displace it sometime, however, after running through a whole bunch of amps including some very high priced current production OTLs this amp will be around for a while. It's to bad it is not more widely available so more might be able to appreciate it.
Nkj