You really should read the other threads, as people who have purchased and lived with the Monoblocks chime in there. Personally, I believe the MX-Rs are a perfect compliment to Vandersteen 5As, which is why I ordered a pair after listening to them extensively (at which time they had been on for more than 24 hours, which does make a difference according to my dealer). It is my understanding that 3 people in the biz (a designers, manufacture and reviewer, respectively) whose systems are built around 5As, each now have the MX-Rs as part of their reference systems (at least one of whom was a die-hard tube guy previously). I believe the MX-Rs to have better three-dimensiality that any solid state amp I've heard, something good tube amps have typically done much better until now. I agree with the industrial design -- now to find a visual and sonic match on the amp-stand front.