"And yes, it is indeed nice when an amp combines excellent transient speed along with excellent texture and tonality"
Yes Stehno it certainly is and I do believe that that would summarize the definition of a great amp of which Mike speaks. It is unmistakable, it is a revelation. Your analogy to Astaire vs the rest nails it, it is effortlessly musical and transcends words to describe it. To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun on his ruling in a landmark case "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."
Yes Stehno it certainly is and I do believe that that would summarize the definition of a great amp of which Mike speaks. It is unmistakable, it is a revelation. Your analogy to Astaire vs the rest nails it, it is effortlessly musical and transcends words to describe it. To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun on his ruling in a landmark case "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."