It is a Push Pull amplifier and people who know me know that Single Ended is my preference - but there are exceptions - it sounds a LOT better than the ASL MG head and LM 218mini (both are SETS). The headphone amplifier is an additional add on for King as he is mainly selling it as an integrated amp - the fact that beats up mainly headphone amp amplifiers for the same price is pretty good. And with stock tubes. I just finished my interview with King today - preparing now to write the review.
King has sold and repaired a lot of amps over the years including the likes of LM, Melody, Almarro, Rogue Audio. He was the Asia representative so if an item failed it was sent to him to repair.
I also like the feet - they're solid aluminum feet - not the usual cheap rubber crap or plastic painted to look aluminum. Metal film capacitors and EI transformer with silicon metal.
Next year he plans to make available front plates in different colours - you can just unscrew the black front plate and put in a new one (white or blue or something). But the rest of the thing has to remain black to keep the price down.
I am happy to hear something that is relatively budget in the audiophile world that I have liked. The magazine I write for just reviewed a $137,000US preamp and I wish I had my review ready so the next review would have been this amp for ~ $800. I like Audio Note as much as anyone but for those of us who live in the real world we must admit that that other world is batcrap crazy. It should be about getting good quality sound that makes you happy at a price that makes sense.
Audiophiles are too into showing off how much they spent or having tried the most products - No. The thing sounds like music yes or no. Not everything expensive is great and not everything cheap sucks.
This sounds good but you still may like other amps more - no guarantees in life. I like it you may not. It is push pull after all but this thing rips apart my Audio Space Mini 2SE PP amps for $1600 or the 211IA IMO. I comfortably replaced my 219IA with this amp as well. And I didn't have to give up the meters.
King recommends changing the RCA NOS 5u4g and Gold Lion gold pin 12AX7 or TungSol 803s gold pin.
He also likes Gold Lion gold pin for the EL84s and for the 12AU7 Brimer NOS or Amprex NOS.
I think Push Pull slightly bullies the sound to one degree or another where a good SET amp does not. So on some speakers (usually the kind I like) push pull is a little abusive pummeling music at me that displaying it there for me to discover. This amp doesn't entirely get away from this pitfall and neither does the Audio Note I-Zero. But these amps do it less than other PP amps and they're not entirely without their own strengths. More impact isn't entirely without its strengths on harder hitting material. Drums are taught and robust for example and there is a tactile feeling throughout.
I see why tube fans own a variety of different amplifiers - none of the tube amps I have heard regardless of price do it all (and certainly no SS). This amp will be no different but for the money as an all rounder it is pretty terrific. Plus it's a nice way to get into tubes not too expensively and is a mean headphone amp.