Overall sound quality, good bass for a lower powered tube final. First-class imaging and soundstaging. Great value for the money.

No pre-outs for a subwoofer, lacks remote control.

After using a Musical Fidelity A2 class A integrated for several years, I decided to go back to tube gear. The AMC 3040G (the "G" stands for the silver/gold finish) was among the only relatively affordable tube integrateds ($1099 msrp), plus it had a phono stage. I'm using efficient (91dB/1 watt/1 meter) AR11 floorstanding speakers, so the 40 wpc of the 3040 is more than enough to drive them in my 16X14 listening room. Other gear included a Music Hall table with Grado Red cartridge, a Pioneer DV-563A SACD player and StraightWire Rhapsody Interconnects. AudioQuest Type 4 speaker cables were used. After a 2-week breakin period, I sat down for some serious listening. The 3040 is quite neutral with just the right amount of tube "bloom." Bass is surprisingly tight and well-controlled. The mids are smooth with no glare and the highs have that liquid quality that only a tubed final stage seems to provide. One of my favorite LPs is the Sheffield labs direct disc of Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker's "I've Got the Music In Me." Tower of Power's barritone sax will raise goosebumps! Plus all the great dynamics of this recording came through on the 3040. In fact just about any acoustic music will shine on the 3040. Tchaikovsky's small scale string pieces were brought to life by the Borodin Quartet. And Paul Tortelier's Dvorak Cello Concerto had that resonant string tone I've seldom heard from a playback system. All in all, I highly recommend this amplifier for those wanting tube magic on a budget.

Similar Products Used:

Only tube separates. Music Reference RM5 MK IV and Audible Illusions Modulus 3 preamps and VTL 90/90 power amps.