Anyone using the Transistor Research LabsM 225's

Tvad,

Your answer is fair. There is no doubt that the most important aspect with any amp is how it interfaces with your speaker. If you call TRL and are able to arrange a trail with return privileges I will accept your findings.

If I am not mistaken you own a Pass amp which are excellent. As we know everyone has their own musical tastes and requirements. Let us know if you get the opportunity to try TRL.

I thank everyone so far for posting, It is my hope that folks will post that love the equipment and perhaps can comment on strengths/weakness and the associated equipment that has been synergistic. I would also appreciate hearing from anyone who auditioned or purchased and felt something else was better. I think there is enough buzz that the amps merit their own thread.

I am not comfortable with the idea of asking manufacturers for auditions unless I am quite certain that I will buy their stuff. Plus I often buy used, so I have relied for years of the opinions that I garner here with great success in terms of my satisfaction with what has been recommended. Once someone gives their opinion I am happy to look up their other posts and system to put their opinion in context and to email them to start a more in depth conversation.

I am not comfortable with the idea of asking
manufacturers for auditions unless I am quite certain that I will buy their
stuff.
Gammajo (System | Threads | Answers)

This is understandable to me.

However, how does one hear a product and make an educated buying
decision if there are no dealers (or a very limited dealer network), and buying
direct from the manufacturer is the only alternative?

I buy only what I can hear, and I am unlikely to buy anything heard only
in a dealer showroom. If there's no reasonable dealer network, then in my
opinion, the onus is on the manufacturer to offer customers a way to
hear their products, and if a dealer is not an alternative, then the
manufacturer should happily welcome a home trial with the risk of a return.

In other words, in the case of a purchase with home trial when that's the
primary method offered by a manufacturer, I don't carry any guilt if I return
the product.

Posts in other threads have stated that in-home trials are not offered by TRL, so I have never pursued it.
Tvad (Threads | Answers)

Why rely on what's posted in other threads? Why not call TRL directly and ask them about a return privilege? I assume based on statements you've made in this thread (and others) that you've called other manufacturers about their equipment and return privileges. What's stopping you from picking up the phone and calling TRL? If anything you could get the information direct from the source and post it here for all to benefit.

Unless TRL policy has been changed,from my dealings with them money back guarantees were the norm. Maybe someone else can chime in and verify one way or the other.

Gammajo - feel free to contact me offline if you care to discuss TRL products. I owned the D-225, and still own the battery powered Pre-1.5. I'll also be getting a Dude early next year. I'll try to help you in any way I can, as I have for other who have contacted me about TRL, including Rx8man who posted here.

I have contacted TRL.

This was Paul's response to my inquiry today about purchasing a pair of M-225 with an in-home trial. I want to emphasize that I requested a purchase with a return privilege. I did not request that Paul send out an amp free of charge that I could hear.

Hi Grant, sorry, we're too booked up to have any spare amps that we can send
out. Probably lots of other manufacturers are, I hear that APL does.

So, it seems a TRL audition is not in the cards.